Me – Sophie Steinhagen – Seaweed Research

Hej, my name is Dr. Sophie Steinhagen and I am a phycologist (seaweed researcher) and molecular seaweed ecologist. I am a researcher at the Department of Marine Sciences at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

I am interested in the taxonomy, morphological variability and diversity of marine seaweeds. With my research I develop new strains for the cultivation of valuable green algal species within the genus Ulva. The work aims to develop environmentally sound cultivation techniques including seeding, juvenile growth, as well as laboratory and open-water cultivation optimized for Swedish conditions.

We investigate how environmental factors and the genetic composition of seaweeds affect the content of high value compounds in the cultivated biomass.

Curriculum Vitae (short)

Jan 2021 – today: Researcher

University of Gothenburg – Sven Lovén Centre for Marine Sciences (Sweden)

Researcher at the University of Gothenburg with a focus on marine macrophyte biodiversity, sustainable large-scale seaweed aquaculture, development of novel strains for Scandinavian seaweed aquaculture, and sustainable techniques for extracting seaweed-based high value compounds. I apply modern molecular techniques, cutting edge technologies as well as classical ecological approaches.

Jan 2019 – Dec 2020: Postdoctoral Researcher (Postdoc)

University of Gothenburg – Sven Lovén Centre for Marine Sciences (Sweden)

Active researcher in the collaborative project SWEAWEED (Swedish Seaweed). SWAEWEED is a collaboration between Chalmers University of Technology, the Royal Institute of Technology KTH, and the University of Gothenburg as coordinating partner and is funded by the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research. The interdisciplinary project is focusing on developing novel strains for cultivating seaweeds in Sweden, and sustainable techniques for extracting seaweed-based high value compounds.

July 2014 – Nov 2018: Doctoral Researcher

GEOMAR Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research (Germany)

Thesis title: „A revision of the species inventory of Ulvales in Northern Germany“

Supervisors: PD Dr. habil. Florian Weinberger & Prof. Dr. Ute Hentschel Humeida

This PhD project is financially supported by the State Agency for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Areas Schleswig-Holstein (Landesamt für Landwirtschaft, Umwelt und ländliche Räume Schleswig-Holstein)