Born and raised in Austria, I developed a love for the sea and everything marine during many summer holidays spent on beaches all over Europe. I studied veterinary medicine in Hannover (Germany) and specialised in exotic pets and wild animals after graduating in 2020. During my early career as a vet, I felt something was missing in everyday clinic life and started a master in Conservation Medicine of Aquatic Animals at the University of Padova (Italy). With my master thesis on “Potential Zoonotic Pathogens for Mammals from Fish”, I got a job in the laboratory for microbiology and molecular biology at the Institute for Fish and Fishery Products in Cuxhaven (Germany), linking my previous studies and passions.
It has been my dream to do a PhD in fish medicine (preferably in Ireland) since gaining insights into different fields with various internships, so I am more than grateful for the opportunity of my PhD project “Epidemiological Examination of Salmonid Rickettsial Septicaemia in Irish Atlantic salmon farms”. This project combines cultivation methods, phylogenetic and prevalence studies of Piscirickettsia salmonis, as well as the development of a vaccination against SRS.
My main research interest is a combination of microbiology, marine biology, and epidemiology with a focus on practical solutions, animal welfare and ethics.