What we do

The Alpine region is subject to exacerbated climate changes. Besides, alpine inland waters have long been under intense human exploitation, leading to disturbances in nutrient loadings, global or local pollutions, fishing activities and hydrological regulation for hydropower. Lakes in and around the Alps have been evolving in a context of continuous and intensifying environmental changes over the last 150 years, to which they are responding through non-linear and somewhat unpredictable trajectories.

Our team studies how lakes in and around the Alps have been responding to environmental changes. Our vision is an interdisciplinary approach. For this, we have merged two poles, one on both biogeochemistry and ecology lead by Marie-Elodie Perga and a second one on aquatic physics lead by Damien Bouffard. This joint approach allows us to tend toward a more holistic approach while covering different space and time perspectives. We combine paleo-ecological reconstructions from sediment archives, high- and low frequency monitoring data, laboratory experiments and modeling to mechanistically unravel alpines lakes vulnerability and responses in a context of global change

Who we are

Team Biogeochemistry and Ecology

Marie-Elodie Perga, Full Professor, P.I.

Nicolas Escoffier, SNF research scientist

Tomy Doda, first assistant

Isabel Herr, PhD Student, graduate assistant

Wyndel Sañoza, PhD student

Nischal Devkota, PhD student (starting March 2024)

Santona Khatun, Faculty post-doc program

Jonas, Woodtli, Msc student

Team Aquatic Physics

Damien Bouffard, Group leader at EAWAG and Associate Professor ad personam, P.I. 

Tomy Doda, first assistant

Former members

Gael Many, SNF Post-doc Fellow

Juliette Marot, former Master’s student

Kevin Casellini, former Msc student

Pascal Perolo, formerly SNF PhD Student, now at BEG SA

Janine Rüegg, former Post-doc Fellow from the Interdisciplinary Centre for Mountain Research

Thibault Lambert, former First assistant, 

Rosalie Bruel, former PhD Student

Yann Guenand, now at EDF, France

Marttiina Rantala, former Post-doc fellow from the Swiss Confederation

Jérémy Keller, former Msc student