introduction/brief CV
Education:
1996 Ph.D. University of Tartu, Estonia.
1993 M.Sc. University of Tartu.
1992 Diploma of biology (Cum Laude), University of Tartu.
Appointments:
2017- Professor of Crop Science and Plant Biology and Chair, Chair of Crop Science and Plant Biology, Estonian University of Life Sciences
2009-2017. Professor of Plant Physiology and Head of Department, Department of Plant Physiology, Estonian University of Life Sciences
2006-2009. Research Professor, Estonian University of Life Sci. (Chair of the Estonian Academy of Sciences)
2000-2005. Associate Professor of Plant Physiology, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu
2003-2006. Visiting Research Fellow at Centro di Ecologia Alpina, Trento, Italy
2002-2003. Interim Chair, Dep. Plant Physiology, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu
2001-2002. Visiting fellow, University of Antwerp, Belgium (7 months)
1998-2000. Head of the Group of Ecophysiology and Senior Research Scientist, Tallinn University
1996-1998. Senior Research Scientist, Project Leader, Tartu Branch of the Estonian Institute of Ecology.
1991-1998. (at intervals, altogether four years), Guest Scientist, Plant Ecology, University of Bayreuth, Germany.
1994-1996. Research Scientist, Tartu Branch of the Estonian Institute of Ecology.
1992-1994. Junior Research Scientist, Tartu Branch of the Estonian Institute of Ecology.
Prizes, awards and honours:
2019 Honorary professor of Zhejiang A&F University, Lin’an, Hangzhou, China
2019 Doctor Honoris Causa of University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
2018 Doctor Honoris Causa of Aurel Vlaicu University, Arad, Romania
2018 Estonian national science award in bio- and geosciences
2013 Member of the Estonian Academy of Sciences
2012 Order of the White Star by the Estonian President
2011 Best paper award by Japanese Ecological Society (best paper in Ecological Research in 2010)
2007 Appointment to F. C. Donders Chair, Department of Biology, University of Utrecht, The Netherlands
2006 Appointment to G. P. Wilder Chair of Botany, Department of Botany, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, USA
2006 Estonian national science award in chemistry and molecular biology
2005 Best teacher award, Atmospheric composition change (ACCENT), Network of excellence of the EU 6th framework programme
2002 Appointment to Erskine fellow post, honour roll of the Canterbury University, New Zealand.
2000 Estonian national science award in bio- and geosciences
1996 Academia Europea Baltic Prize to young scholars
Major research themes and projects:
1. Plant response to multiple abiotic and biotic stresses in relation to worldwide vegetation distribution
2. Functional relationships among plant structure, ecology and physiology
3. Agriculture under global change: novel cultures and biofertilizers
4. Stress-induced plant volatile emissions
Participation as PI and partner in numerous international projects and science networks including integrated projects, MC research-training networks and networks of Excellence from European Commission (ISONET, CARBOMONT, NITROEUROPE, ACCENT), National Academy of Sciences of USA, Human Frontiers of Science Program, European Reseacrh Council (ERC). Acting as steering committee member of several Europe-wide research programmes including ESF programmes and COST actions. PI of European Research Council (ERC) advanced grant SIP-VOL+ (2013-2018). Head of the National Center of Excellence ENVIRON (2011-2016) and Center of Excellence EcolChange (2016-2022).
Boards of Scientific Journals: European Journal of Forest Research (associate editor), Tree Physiology book series (Springer, editor), Oecologia (editor)
Reviewing activities: > 120 journals including Nature, Science, PNAS, Ecology, Ecology Letters, Trends Plant Sci., Trends in Ecology and Evolution, Plant, Cell and Environment, Plant Physiology, New Phytologist etc., and applications for various appointments from postdoc to professor level and numerous PhD theses.
Reviewer of grant applications and panel member for multiple granting agencies including Academy of Finland, Council for the Earth and Life Sciences (NWO – ALW, The Netherlands, European Fleet for Airborne Research (EUFAR), European Research Council, Estonian Science Foundation, National Science Foundation, USA, Research Promotion Foundation (Cyprus), Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), Czech Science Foundation, Human Frontiers of Science Program, European Science Foundation (ESF), Fondation pour la Recherche sur la Biodiversité (FRB), Fondo Nacional de Desarrollo Científico y Tecnológico (Fondecyt, Chile), National Science Centre (Narodowe Centrum Nauki, Poland), Swedish Research Council Formas, United States - Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund (BARD).
Graduate teaching: 15 defended PhD theses, 10 PhD theses in preparation
Additional service: Member of the Life, Environment and Geosciences Scientific Committee (LEGS, 2012-2016), Science Europe and Member of the Science Policy Committee of the Estonian Ministery of Education and Science (2012-), Head of the Committee for Science Career Models of the Estonian Academy of Sciences (2014-)
Publications: More than 450 publications in refereed international scientific journals and books, including Science, Nature, Nature Plants, Nature Genetics, Nature Geosciences and PNAS and specialized top-level journals Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Biogeosciences, Ecology, Ecological Monographs, Global Ecology and Biogeography, Journal of Geophysical Research, New Phytologist, Plant, Cell and Environment, Plant Physiology etc. Collaborated with more than 1500 scientists from 50 countries.
Researcher IDs: ORCID ID - 0000-0002-3078-2192; ISI researcher ID: A-3816-2008
Citations: 53745 (Google Scholar 30.09.2021) and h-index 12. ISI-Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher 2016-2022 editions.