Alexandra Filippova, PhD

What’s the work that you do?

I am a marine geochemist. I work in the Labrador Sea and Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Based on different paleo proxies, I reconstruct past climate conditions and water mass circulation patterns. I am particularly interested in Heinrich Stadials, their true origin and effect on the deep water mass production in the past and how it is comparable to the modern day situation characterized by increased glacial meltwater runoff due to climate change.

What keeps you going?

The mystery of the unknown. There is still so much we don’t know or don’t understand from our past history. I think to understand where we are going it is important to learn where we have been. And I hope to shed more light on the history of our increasable world and processes that happened in the past.

What’s your message to the world?

If someone told me 20 years ago that I will become a scientist, work in Germany, write scientific papers, present at conferences, I would have never believed them. Not only because people thought I am not smart enough, but also because they thought it is not who I can be. Never let other people dictate you who you are or who you will be. Be who you want to be and believe in yourself.