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S. Nemiah Ladd, PhD

I am an organic geochemist, focusing on interactions among plants, algae, humans, and climate today and throughout the recent geologic past. In particular, I use chemical markers that are produced by plants and algae and preserved in sediment (so-called “molecular fossils”) to reconstruct past changes in rainfall rates, eutrophication, and human land-use. I am an SNF Eccellenza Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of Basel.

Contact: n.ladd (at) unibas.ch

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Sediment traps ready for deployment in Lake Lucerne, Switzerland

Research

My research focuses on developing and applying new organic geochemical tools to reconstruct past environmental conditions. My work includes empirical calibrations, experiments designed to test the mechanistic underpinnings of my proxies, and applications to sediment cores.

Students count varves and calculate sediment accumulation rates in Lake Greifen, Switzerland

Teaching

I believe that students learn science by doing science, and I strive to create a hands-on, interactive classroom that is welcoming and respectful of students from diverse backgrounds. I have an MSc in education and extensive experience teaching from the high school to Masters’ level.

Sunset over Koror island in Palau during fieldwork in 2013

Publications and CV

Check out my published research on Google Scholar or Research Gate

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