Cathleen Schlundt

Cathleen Schlundt is a Research Fellow in the Chemical Oceanography unit within the Marine Biogeochemistry division at GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel. She has been with GEOMAR since 2019 following previous postdoctoral positions at both GEOMAR (2013-2016) and the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA (2016-2019). Her research program bridges marine microbiology and chemical oceanography with a focus on plastic pollution in marine environments.

Dr. Schlundt's research interests center on the interactions between plastic pollution and marine ecosystems, specifically examining biofilm development on plastic surfaces, the distribution and impact of microplastics in ocean systems, and the phylogenetic relationships of microbial communities inhabiting plastic debris (the 'Plastisphere'). Her methodological expertise includes CLASI-FISH and confocal laser scanning microscopy for detailed examination of microbial communities at micron scales. She also investigates biogeochemical cycling of sulfur compounds and volatile organic carbon in marine environments.

Her publication record demonstrates consistent research productivity with significant contributions to understanding how plastic pollution affects marine biogeochemical processes. Recent work has explored microplastic export through the biological carbon pump, spatial organization of microbial communities on plastics, and the distribution of plastics across different ocean basins including the Indian Ocean.

• DFG Return Fellowship (2018-2019)
• DFG Research Fellowship (2016-2018)
• DAAD PRIME Fellowship (2016)
• Doctoral scholarship from German Academic Scholarship Foundation (2010-2012)
• Briese Prize (2014)
• Compass Prize (2014)

Dr. Schlundt's educational background includes a Dr. rer. nat. in Marine Biogeochemistry from Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel (2008-2013), an M.Sc. in Biological Oceanography from the University of Southern Denmark (2006-2008), and a B.Sc. in Biosciences from Westfälische Wilhelms University Münster (2003-2006). Her international experience includes research at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, demonstrating her engagement with the global oceanographic research community.