BSc Natural Sciences | MSc Environmental Biology
PhD Candidate at UNINA Biology Dept.
Plant Ecophysiology and Astrobiology

ABOUT ME

I am Christian Lorenz, a PhD student in Biology at the University of Naples Federico II, Italy. My research focuses on Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria (PGPB) as nature-based solutions to improve crop resilience under abiotic stresses, such as drought and salinity.

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During my PhD, I conducted international research stays in Chile and the Czech Republic. At the University of Antofagasta, I sampled soils from the Atacama Desert to isolate potential PGP bacteria. At Photon System Instruments R&D, I worked with advanced phenotyping platforms for plant physiological analysis. Most of my doctoral experiments have been carried out at the Institute of Sustainable Plant Protection (IPSP) of the Italian National Research Council (CNR) in Sesto Fiorentino and Metaponto.

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Before starting my PhD, I gained experience in astrobiology, focusing on extremophiles such as lichens. I worked at the INAF-Arcetri Astrophysical Observatory in Florence and completed my Master’s thesis at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Berlin.

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I am a plant ecophysiologist with expertise in photosynthesis, including gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence, photochemistry, and destructive analyses using spectrophotometry. I have basic knowledge of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and have also developed skills in FTIR and Raman spectroscopy during my Bachelor’s and Master’s research projects.

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Academic Interests: Ecophysiology, Agricultural Plant Science, Space Agriculture, Environmental Systems Agriculture, Astrobiology, Biology of Extreme Environments 

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