Postdoctoral Associate
L. Alex Kahl - Research
Rutgers University
Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences
71 Dudley Rd.
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
tel: +1 732 932 6555
alex-at-marine.rutgers.edu
My scientific career started when I was an undergraduate working for Dr. Dave Siegel at UCSB's Institute for Computational Earth Systems Science. As an undergraduate my research focused on managing and optimizing the collection and storage of satellite data. After beginning graduate school at Rutgers University's Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, I was drawn away from remote sensing by the mysteries of carbon biogeochemistry. My PhD. thesis was focused on the biological - physical interface of carbon dynamics. The three chapters of my PhD. addressed the follwing questions.
- How does phytoplankton health affect carbon sequestration?
- What differences in the chemistry of phytoplankton exudate cause variability in phytoplankton aggregation?
- How and why do phytoplankton cells exude organic carbon?
In addition to furthering our understanding of the ocean's carbon dynamics my current post doc position finds me pursuing knowledge of polar ecosystems as well as playing with autonomous underwater vehicles. Additionally, I am also interested in
- Paleoclimate and climate change
- Science education and literacy
- Expanding affordable, high-technology science into developing countries
- International policy and civil society
- Spanish and arabic languages