A warm CBIOMES-welcome to Charlie Guffens, a PhD student at the University of Liverpool, UK working with Chris Follett.
by Helen Hill for CBIOMES
HH: In summary, what are your research interests?
CG: Throughout my work, I have consistently focused on the impact of environmental factors on the distribution of organisms. In recent years, my attention has been directed towards the plankton assemblage in Arctic waters.
HH: What is your role in Chris’s group? What will you be working on for CBIOMES?
CG: My PhD research is focusing on the connections between nitrogen fixing organisms and the broader community composition. My current work for Chris and CBIOMES consists of characterizing the community assemblage of phytoplankton in Norwegian and Barents seas, as well as around the Svalbard coasts using our Imaging Flow Cytobot (IFCB) data. This involves classifying images of phytoplankton and using the outcomes to create a spatial distribution model for the Arctic region. I will connect this community composition to measurements of nitrogen fixation and nitrogen fixing plankton as well as predictions from the DARWIN model using DAR1. Our plan is to then apply a similar strategy to the seasonal cycle of nitrogen fixers at Station ALOHA.
HH: What is your educational background (BS, MS)?
CG: I hold a degree in Marine and Lacustrine Science and Management from Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUJ)
(Belgium). For my M.Eng thesis, I studied the impact of sediment on benthic organisms in rivers.
And for my MSc thesis, I studied the spatial distribution of zooplankton in relation to the glacial discharge in Arctic fjords. In addition, to my educational background, I have worked as a consultant for an environmental impact assessment company and as a research assistant for a hydromorphology lab at the University of Liège.
Story image: Charlie says, “I am a tango dancer (or at least I try to be). I also enjoy climbing, diving, and sailing whenever an opportunity occurs. Furthermore, I am also a member of a Belgian local web radio where I share my interests for music, cinema, and other socio-cultural topics.”