Carmen Nickel

IUTA

Germany

 

Institut für Energie und Umwelttechnik, IUTA, e.V., Supervisor: Dr. Christof Asbach, involved in WP6 and WP7

Saving and understanding nature is my one of the most personal interests; therefore I have studied ecology at the University of Essen, Germany. The topic of my diploma thesis was to analyse the effect of wood harvesting on the Avifauna in the Bavarian forest. After my study I worked at different institutes amongst others at the Senckenberg Institute in Gelnhausen Germany, where I have done field mapping of birds, butterflies and snails for nature conservation. Since 2008 I have worked as scientist at IUTA where I had my first contact with nanoscale particles. I started with analysis of ultrafine particles and their emission and behavior in the air. After this I moved to the water and soil compartments analyzing the fate and behavior of engineered nanomaterials (ENM). In 2015 I received my PhD at the faculty of landscape ecology at the University of Muenster, Germany, combining the work with these three compartments.

Presently my work at IUTA is mainly in the field of (nano-) particle characterization, particle exposure and fate as well as risk assessment in the environment. I was and still am involved in several FP7 research projects and nationally funded projects (BMBF, German EPA) dealing with nanomaterial (NM) characterization, NM fate and behaviour, effects on the environment and human health of NM as well as on grouping.

In the NanoFASE project I am the work package leader of WP6 dealing with the emission of ENM into air and their effect on the atmosphere. Furthermore I am involved in WP7 where I will conduct unsaturated soil column experiments, which may help to understand the importance of the air-water interface on the mobility of ENM.   

In these past 9 years I've enjoyed working with physics, chemists and engineers at IUTA and I've learned a lot by discussing with them the different points of view on the same topic, for instance go in depth to emission factor calculation by combining modelling and monitoring ultrafine particles in the atmosphere.

When I am not at work, I like to be in nature for hiking, jogging and swimming. Beside this I really like to listen to heavy metal and going to concerts and festivals.