
Professor Daniela Schmidt
Ph.D. (E.T.H.Zurich)
Expertise
Current positions
Professor of Earth Sciences
School of Earth Sciences
Contact
Press and media
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Biography
My early work assessed the ecology of benthic foraminifers at the AWI Bremerhaven with the aim to improve our ability to assess past changes in ocean ecosystems. My PhD focussed on the evolution of planktic foraminifers. I won a series of independent research fellowships from the Swiss Science foundation (SNF), the German Science foundation (DFG), NERC and the Royal Society. I recieved a Wolfson Merit Award from the Royal Society in 2015. I have been elected as a fellow of the Royal Society of Biology and became a member of the Young Academy of Europe in 2016.
I have built an international network of collaborators with different scientific foci. My main aim is to combine assessment of past climate change and modern process understanding to better assess risk, impacts and potential for adaptation of ecosystems to climate change.
I have contributed to several MCCIP reports. I was a lead author of the 5th IPCC report WGII, an Expert Group Member of EU SAPEA on the topic "Food from the Oceans" and am leading the IPCC WGII chapter on Europe for the 6th IPCC assessment.
Research interests
I am a Professor in the School of Earth Science at the University of Bristol. My research focuses on understanding the causes and effects of climate change on marine systems. My lab and I are aiming to study coasts as socio-ecological systems with benefits for society while protecting ecosystems. We complement this work with analysis of climate change impacts on the open ocean. Therefore, we are working on a wide range of organisms including foraminifers, bivalves, bryozoans, and coralline algae. These organisms are ideal high resolution archives for climate change but also provide a wide range of ecosystem services.
I exploit the breadth of new and novel techniques to generate a holistic understanding of the threats of climate change on marine ecosystems. My lab produced the first study on the effects of chemical and physical environmental change on the stability of marine organsims. These results highlight that, while physiological understanding is paramount to addressing the effects of environmental impact, a structural understanding is necessary to upscale to ecosystem services.
I am recognised as an expert in the biotic reactions of marine calcifiers to past climate change. I have transferred tools from a wide range of fields and am combing large morphometric datasets, CT scanning, and high resolution material properties. One of my research highlights was the characterisation of the unprecedented rate of change of past intervals of rapid environmental change and the biotic response to these changes.
Projects and supervisions
Research projects
From salt to sea, how does life recolonize a marine basin?
Principal Investigator
Managing organisational unit
School of Earth SciencesDates
01/11/2024 to 28/02/2025
Climate change impacts on coastal ecosystems - adapting to an uncertain future
Principal Investigator
Managing organisational unit
School of Earth SciencesDates
01/09/2021 to 31/08/2022
Waves of change: inspiring youth climate action in Cornish coastal communities
Principal Investigator
Role
Co-Investigator
Managing organisational unit
Department of Anthropology and ArchaeologyDates
01/09/2021 to 31/12/2021
Development of ForamEcoGENIE
Principal Investigator
Description
Planktic foraminifera are calcifying marine organisms. They secret calcite (CaCO3) and thus influence biological pump and global carbon cycle. By developing a trait-based model within the GENIE framework, this study…Managing organisational unit
School of Earth SciencesDates
01/04/2021 to 31/03/2022
COA Ezard large grant
Principal Investigator
Managing organisational unit
School of Earth SciencesDates
01/03/2021 to 28/02/2022
Thesis supervisions
Environmental impacts on foraminiferal calcification during the Pliocene
Supervisors
Protecting Europe’s Future Seas
Supervisors
Rate and amplitudes of climate change
Supervisors
A trait-based approach to planktonic foraminifera ecology and biogeography
Supervisors
Changes in planktic ecosystems through Earth history – new insights using a trait-based model
Supervisors
The effect of climate change on Southern Ocean benthic calcifiers
Supervisors
Life in the extreme
Supervisors
Assessing past oxygen in the ocean using Cr isotopes as a palaeo-proxy
Supervisors
Publications
Selected publications
24/09/2021Thermal stress reduces carbonate production of benthic foraminifera and changes the material properties of their shells
ICES Journal of Marine Science
Ecosystem Function after the K/Pg Extinction
Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh: Section B Biology
A framework for complex climate change risk assessment
One Earth
Recent publications
12/02/2025What controls planktic foraminiferal calcification?
Biogeosciences
Deep Visual-Genetic Biometrics for Taxonomic Classification of Rare Species
Proceedings - 2024 IEEE Winter Conference on Applications of Computer Vision, WACV 2024
Adaptation pathways for effective responses to climate change risks
WIRES Climate Change
Expert judgement reveals current and emerging UK climate-mortality burden
Lancet Planetary Health
Impacts of the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum (EECO, ~53‐49 Ma) on Planktic Foraminiferal Resilience
Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology
Teaching
I am passionate about and committed to undergraduate and postgraduate education. I have been involved in teaching continuously since coming to Bristol. My approach to teaching is grounded in the belief that an essential part of the training is a solid foundation in the physical sciences. My teaching currently covers contribute to lectures, supervision of independent projects and design/assessment of exams. The practicals are increasing in complexity throughout the course, thereby building understanding incrementally throughout. The informal nature of discussions at the microscope or on the outcrop facilitates both the learning experience and success.
My teaching exposes the students to current research. The lectures are constantly updated to incorporate the most recent research findings, for example the IPCC results. I have been particularly active in PG supervision for both the MSci and MSc degrees.