BSc Natural Sciences | MSc Environmental Biology | PhD Biology
Plant Ecophysiology Astrobiology

ABOUT ME

I am Christian Lorenz, I am specialized in dark-reaction and gas exchange plants photosynthesis under abiotic stresses.

 

I successfully defended my PhD thesis at Biology Department of the University of Naples Federico II, Italy.

My research focused on the application of Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria (PGPB) as bio-inoculants / bio-stimulants to implement crop primary production under drought and salinity.

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I carried out international research in Chile and the Czech Republic. At the University of Antofagasta (Chile), I sampled soils from the Atacama Desert to isolate potential PGP bacteria. At Photon System Instruments R&D (Czech Rep.), I worked on root, shoot and fluorescence 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 my PhD, I gained experience in astrobiology, focusing on extremophiles such as lichens. I worked at the INAF-Arcetri Astrophysical Observatory in Florence (INAF-OAA) and completed my Master thesis at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Berlin, using the Mars Simulation Facility of PASLAB.

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

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Academic Interests: Ecophysiology, Plant Science, Space Biology, Astrobiology, Biology of Extreme Environments 

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