When I applied to university, my first choice was Physics, followed by Sculpture and History of Arts, much to the disappointment of my Fine Arts high school teachers, who hoped I’d become an architect. However, learning the laws of physics gave me the same sense of wonder one gets when looking at a beautiful painting, and I wanted to understand how the world works.
However, I had underestimated the challenge of moving from a school known for its liberal and unconventional teaching methods to a grey, old-school physics department. I skipped classes often and dedicated my time to student politics instead. That’s when I started to learn more about climate change, which had arrived in Portugal in the shape of two devastating fire seasons combined with an extreme drought (2003-05).
On an impulse, I switched to Energy and Environmental Engineering to apply physics for a better world. Turns out the engineering courses were quite dull, but I would find the beauty of physics again in meteorology and climate science. I remained strongly engaged in student politics, where I met many biology students. Between painting banners and printing flyers, we would chat about all the cool things we’d learned, from the dynamics of frontal systems to the evolution of eyes. I regretted having overlooked biology for so long and attended their classes just for fun.
By chance, I was invited to work on a project on remote-sensing of vegetation recovery following wildfires, the same project that had led me to switch tracks and do my MSc thesis on the topic. I quite enjoyed research work and found vegetation-climate interactions fascinating. I had no idea what a research career looked like beyond job insecurity, but I also knew I’d never be able to hold a “9 to 5 job” for more than a few weeks, so I decided to give it a try.
Knowing the importance of the carbon cycle for climate change, and given my recently found passion for ecology, I decided to apply for a PhD fellowship to study the links between natural climate variability and extremes and vegetation activity, with a focus on CO2 exchanges – a topic that I still study today. After my PhD, which focused on remote sensing, I wanted to learn more about terrestrial biosphere modelling, which I did during my postdoc at the LSCE in France.
In my different research positions, at LMU Munich, MPI BGC and now at Leipzig University, I have brought models and observations together to better understand the interactions between the land biosphere, the global carbon cycle and climate, and to reduce uncertainties in future projections of climate and the biosphere. Being between disciplines, I realised we need a better integration of the climate and biodiversity research communities.
At Leipzig University and iDiv, I found the perfect environment to do this, while combining my different passions: environmental physics, ecology and biodiversity research, and societal engagement for a better world. I look forward to keep learning from and collaborating with you.
Contact: ana.bastos@uni-leipzig.de