Biography

Welcome!

I grew up mainly in Hanover, Germany, where I studied Physical Geography, with a concentration in Hydrology and Cartography. Right after graduation, I had a short stint in Peru, where I carried out my first job in hydrology with the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ).

After that I worked for the Hydrological Research Institute in Pretoria, South Africa, for 3.5 years, under the supervision of Wolfgang Fluegel. During this time I started my PhD at the University of Heidelberg, Germany, carrying out research in hydrology and water quality in a South African watershed. My research led me to spend many happy months in the beautiful Breede River Valley, a bit north of Cape Town, in the heart of the wine country.

I joined Roland Schulze's ACRU research team at the School for Bioresources Engineering and Environmental Hydrology at the small University town and provincial capital, Pietermaritzburg. Here I was mainly involved in the further development and application of the ACRU agro-hydrological modelling system. It was also here, in 1990, when I attended my first GIS course, after which I vigorously used GIS in hydrology. As a part of my job was to consult, I was involved in a wide varity of consulting/research projects.

In 1995, after having spent a fantastic 8.5 years, my family decided to leave South Africa and return to Germany. I started my own consulting firm, leading four Geographers, specializing in water resources and GIS (what else?).

After a brief two years in Germany, my family decided again to move on, and this time we chose Alberta, Canada. I found a great environmental consulting firm (AGRA Earth & Environmental) and built up a strong GIS consulting arm for them. These were very productive years, and I was fortunate to have been involved in many very diverse projects, some overseas.

Although I much enjoyed my work at AGRA, the academic in me gained the upper hand, and I joined the University of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, in June, 2000. From the beginning I had the good fortune to both teach and research in my two favourite subjects: Hydrology and GIS. As I know the demands of government institutions as well as consultants, I focus on practical solutions to solve complex problems in hydrology and GIS.

As is evident from my publication list, I publish in a wide variety of journals. I supervise and co-supervise many graduate students, have a strong research programme, and I collaborate internationally with diverse research institutions.