SCHYMANSKI Stanislaus

About

I am a Senior Lead Research and Technology Scientist at LIST, where I started a group on "Water and vegetation in a changing environment" (WAVE) in 2017, funded through an ATTRACT fellowship by the Luxembourg Research Fund (FNR). I hold a degree in Biology from the University of Freiburg (Germany) and a PhD in Environmental Engineering from the University of Western Australia. Between my PhD and current employment, I worked as a scientist at the Max Planck Instutute for Biogeochemistry in Jena (2007-2011) and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich (2011-2017). Throughout my career, I have been investigating the interactions between vegetation, soil and atmosphere and the resulting hydrologic behaviour of hillslopes and catchments. In search of general laws guiding these interactions, my research focuses on physical constraints, biological adjustments and macroscopic extremum principles such as maximum net carbon profit or maximum entropy production. I combine mathematical analysis with numerical modelling to generate hypotheses and engage in lab and field observations to test these hypotheses and formulate new questions. Being a strong advocate for Open Science, I am maintaining a Python package for reproducible and transparent mathematical modelling (https://essm.readthedocs.io) and contributing to the development of an open science platform (https://renkulab.io), which I am also using for my research. I am also editor of the open access and open-review journal Hydrology and Earth System Science (HESS).

Mission

My area of research includes: – Modelling of canopy photosynthesis, vegetation water uptake and transpiration – Driving forces and resistances for water flow in soil and plants – Thermodynamic and biological organising principles governing temporal dynamics and spatial patterns – Linking of physically-based hydrological models with biologically-based vegetation models – Optimal adaptation in a dynamically varying environment – Development of specialised sensors, experimental setups and protocols I apply for competitive grants to carry out small and large research projects, lead and co-lead national and international research projects including PhD and postdoctoral supervision, multidisciplinary teams and stakeholders, and engage in teaching and outreach activities, such as courses at the University of Luxembourg, the Researchers Days, the Science Festival, TEDx, interviews, and the creation of science videos. I publish my research in international journals and present cutting edge results at international conferences and seminars.

Skills and expertise

• Experimental plant ecophysiology
• Root uptake, plant hydraulics and stomatal control
• Plant and vegetation modelling
• Python programming
• Open science

Projects

• FORFUS: Forest function under stress
• FORLUX: Health, adaptation and resilience of forests in the context of climate change
• LAFI: Land-Atmosphere Feedback Initiative
• microC-flux: Short-term carbon fluxes within foliage tissues of drought-tolerant conifers