Dr. Klaus Wolkenstein
Research InterestsI am especially interested in fossils that show exceptional preservation of organic compounds such as pigments and perform structural analysis of natural products of both fossil and extant organisms. I am also very interested in geochemical biomarkers in order to study (palaeo)environmental changes. For my research, I use the full spectrum of state-of-the-art spectroscopic techniques including liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, high-resolution mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
Short curriculum
• Since 2021: Postdoctoral researcher, DFG project “Identification, structure and occurrence of fossil melanin pigments“ (WO 1491/5-1), University of Göttingen
• 2020–2021: Member of staff, University of Göttingen, operator of Sciex QTRAP 6500+ mass spectrometer
• 2017–2019: Postdoctoral researcher, DFG project “Structure and diagenesis of fossil polyphenols” (WO 1491/4-2), University of Göttingen
• 2016: Member of staff, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry
• 2012–2015: Postdoctoral researcher, DFG project “Borolithochromes – phenolic boron pigments from fossil red algae” (WO 1491/4-1)
• 2010–2012: Member of staff and DFG fellow (WO 1491/2-1), State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart
• 2007–2010: Postdoctoral researcher, DFG project “Polycyclic quinones in fossil and recent crinoids“ (WO 1491/1-1), University of Linz, Austria
• 2006: Member of staff, University of Heidelberg
• 2001–2005: PhD student, University of Heidelberg
Awards
Tilly Edinger award of the German Paleontological Society (2006)
Publications