After completing a PhD in Göttingen, Germany, and postdocs in Germany and Switzerland I started as a CSIRO research scientist at the Australian National Herbarium in Canberra in 2010. My primary study group are the Asteraceae, and from a systematics perspective in particular the native Gnaphalieae (everlasting paper daisy tribe). My research interests, however, are broad and have always been, including molecular phylogenetics, species delimitation, user-friendly identification keys, pollination, polyploidy, spatial patterns of biodiversity, and, increasingly, conservation genetics.
Currently I am building a Lucid key to the Cassinia group, am involved in a project on estimation of viable plant population sizes, and continue working towards a well-resolved phylogeny of Australian Gnaphalieae using high-throughput sequencing. I am also an ANU Academic Visitor and have contributed to undergraduate teaching. I enjoy reading, playing board games and photographing plants.