| Daniela Schmidt | |
| Birth Name: | Daniela N. Schmidt |
| Workplaces: | Royal Holloway, University of London University of Bristol |
| Alma Mater: | University of Bremen ETH Zurich (PhD) |
| Fields: | Climate change Marine ecosystems |
| Awards: | Royal Society University Research Fellowship (2006) Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award (2015) |
| Thesis Title: | Size variability in planktic foraminifers |
| Thesis Url: | https://dx.doi.org/10.3929/ethz-a-004353260 |
| Thesis Year: | 2002 |
Daniela N. Schmidt is a German earth scientist and professor at the University of Bristol. Her research investigates the impact of climate change on marine ecosystems. She is the lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report on Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability for Europe.
Schmidt completed her undergraduate training at the University of Bremen, where she specialised in geology and palaeontology. During her degree she took part in a RV Polarstern mission to the Bellingshausen Sea. She earned her PhD at ETH Zurich where she studied the macroecology of planktic foraminifers.[1] [2] Her thesis was awarded the ETH Zurich Medal, and Schmidt was awarded a Swiss National Science Foundation Fellowship.
After earning her doctorate in 2002 she moved to Royal Holloway, University of London as a German Research Foundation Fellow. Schmidt started her independent scientific career as a Royal Society University Research Fellow at the University of Bristol in 2006.[3]
Schmidt was awarded a Royal Society Wolfson Research Fellowship in 2015. Her research investigates the causes and impacts of increased carbon dioxide on marine ecosystems. Anthropological carbon dioxide emissions impact the ocean in many ways, resulting in processes such as ocean acidification and warming. Damage to the ocean directly and indirectly impacts the environment, and ecosystem shifts can present considerable challenges to surrounding communities. Schmidt has investigated various ocean ecosystems, with a focus on bivalves, bryozoans and foraminifers.
In general, her research combines understanding climate events with modern activity to understand and assess risk. She was a lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Working Group on Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability.[4] [5]