Introducing: Alexa Zonderman
What is your qualifying background?
My career probably started around the time when I was seven and spent the entire summer catching, identifying, and releasing turtles. However, my first official qualification is the B.S. in Marine Biology that was completed at the University of California, San Diego from 2017-2020. The research and coursework that I interacted with at SIO foreshadowed my current scientific focus and general interest areas in marine science. From California, I moved to Germany in late 2020 to begin a M.S. at the University of Hamburg, which was completed in 2022 with my thesis in the department Inorganic Environmental Chemistry at Hereon. At the beginning of this year, I started in my position here in this department researching chemical emissions of offshore wind farms.
How would you describe your working daily routine?
Hard to say. Unfortunately, I have to go with a stereotype here: the biggest constant is probably drinking a bit too much coffee. Otherwise, I am in the lab or writing, reading, and making sense out of my data. Because both element and microplastic analysis are relevant to my project, laboratory work can also be quite varied on a day-to-day basis.
What has been your biggest success so far?
Explaining what I do at work to my grandparents.
Do you have a big goal?
More like a ton of medium-sized goals! Lots of things, from the finishing the next publication and going on an upcoming sampling campaign to improving in my athletic hobbies and baking more often. My biggest goal is probably organizing my life and work so that it is possible to accomplish all of the smaller goals.
Do you have any personal distinctive mark?
I would have to ask. Hopefully it’s a good thing, and not “asks endless questions”. Possibly that I constantly guess the wrong articles when speaking German.
