Kerstin Stelzer is part of the Brockmann Consult team as a leader of the Department of Geoinformation Services and as an expert for Earth Observation. Her work focuses on the topics of water quality, coastal erosion and coastal habitat mapping. 

Based on her experience and specialisation, Kerstin is involved in several inland water and coastal-related projects. Her work also involves additional consultancy on Satellite-based water services provided to authorities and other customers. 

Within FERRO, Kerstin will provide active support in the catchment-based approach and will organise the satellite processing activities. 

Eirini Politi is a Remote Sensing and GIS specialist at Brockmann Consult GmbH. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Marine Science from the University of the Aegean (Greece), a Master’s in Remote Sensing, Image Processing and Applications, and a PhD in the Remote Sensing of Lake Water Quality from the University of Dundee (Scotland, UK).

With extensive experience in ecosystem applications of remote sensing and GIS tools, Eirini specialises in lake and lagoon environments, focusing on the socio-environmental factors influencing these water bodies in the context of global change. 

Within the FERRO project, Eirini leads the remote sensing-based classification and prioritisation of approximately 600 European lakes and their catchments for restoration. She also contributes to lake restoration monitoring using satellite remote sensing data, working closely with colleagues across the project.

Tallent Dadi is the Coordinator of the FERRO Project. With his background in environmental science, Tallent specialises in sediment-water interactions in aquatic systems and their influence on nutrient and pollutant dynamics.

Beyond leading the project, Tallent is also overseeing a number of key work packages within FERRO, including WP3 Review of Lake Restoration in European Lakes, WP6 Nutrient Recovery at Lake Inflows and Agricultural Reuse, and WP10 Scaling FERRO Restoration Solutions to Other Regions. 

In this role, he will ensure the seamless coordination of project activities, facilitating collaboration between team members, stakeholders, and work packages to drive the successful implementation of FERRO’s objectives.

Karsten Rinke is the Head of the Department of Lake Research at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research and holds a professorship in Management and Modelling of Lakes at Brandenburg University of Technology. 

As a limnologist, his expertise lies in the monitoring, modeling, and management of lakes and reservoirs. 

Within the FERRO project, Karsten steps as a project manager, to work alongside the Project Coordinator and actively contribute to WP3 Review of Lake Restoration in European Lakes, WP6 Nutrient Recovery at Lake Inflows and Agricultural Reuse, and WP10 Scaling FERRO Restoration Solutions to Other Regions. 

Kurt Friese is Head of 'Biogeochemistry Group', Deputy Department Lake Research at Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research.

Kurt is a geochemist who has been working for more than 20 years, mainly on aquatic sediments in lakes and reservoirs, with a special focus on nutrients and heavy metals. He is an associate professor for “Hydrochemistry and Environmental Geochemistry” at Martin-Luther-University (MLU) Halle-Wittenberg.

With his background and expertise as а senior scientist, Kurt will be supporting the coordination team of FERRO with organisational and scientific aspects of the project, all of which centered in WP6.

Kasper Reitzel is an Ecology Associate Professor and a researcher at the University of Southern Denmark.

Kasper’s expertise in phosphorus management, aquatic ecosystems, and sustainable water solutions plays a key role in the FERRO project. 

He contributes to the development of a pumping system and phosphorus filter material, aiming to improve nutrient removal from freshwater systems. Additionally, Kasper is part of the exploratory plant growth experiments, assessing the potential of lake sediment as an alternative fertiliser. 

His research will support the innovative solutions for nutrient recycling and sustainable lake management.

Sara Egemose is an Ecology Associate Professor and a researcher at the University of Southern Denmark. 

Sara supports Work Package 8 (WP8) - the development of a pumping system and phosphorus filter material. 

She also contributes to Work Package 5 (WP5) by assisting with plant growth experiments that assess the feasibility of using lake sediment as an alternative fertiliser. Her research interests include freshwater restoration, nutrient management, and sustainable agricultural practices.

Anna-Marie Klamt is an Ecology Academic Assistant and a researcher at the University of Southern Denmark. 

Anna-Marie is involved in Working Package 5 with plant growth experiments, and studying the potential of lake sediment as an alternative fertiliser. 

Additionally, she contributes to Work Package 8 with the development of a pumping system and phosphorus filter material, supporting the optimisation of nutrient recovery methods.

Her research aims to develop sustainable solutions for agriculture, while addressing nutrient management challenges in freshwater ecosystems.

Theis Kragh specialises in freshwater ecosystem dynamics, greenhouse gas emissions, and macrophyte reestablishment. 

Given his expertise, Theis is actively involved in multiple FERRO processes. In Work Package 7 he applies sonar scanning technology to identify phosphorus hot-spot areas in lakes, contributing to sustainable lake restoration strategies.

Additionally, Theis contributes to Work Package 8 on the pumping system and phosphorus filter material, and in Work Package 5, he supports experiments on using lake sediment as an alternative fertiliser. 

His work enhances lake restoration efforts by integrating innovative monitoring and nutrient management techniques.

Helle Sørensen is an Ecology Laboratory Technician at the University of Southern Denmark, bringing valuable technical expertise and practical experience to the FERRO project.

Within Work Package 5 (WP5), Helle plays a key role in supporting plant growth experiments designed to test the potential use of lake sediment as an alternative fertiliser. Her work involves maintaining experimental setups, monitoring plant development under, and ensuring the accuracy and reliability of data collected throughout the process.

By contributing to the understanding of nutrient recovery and reuse, Helle's efforts support FERRO’s broader ambition to promote sustainable and circular solutions for lake restoration and nutrient management.

Emma Polauke is an Ecology PhD student and a Research Assistant at the University of Southern Denmark.

Emma’s involvement in Work Package 7 (WP7) is through sonar scanning of lakes to pinpoint hot-spot areas for phosphorus release. Her research also examines greenhouse gas emissions and macrophyte reestablishment, contributing to a deeper understanding of lake restoration processes. 

Within FERRO, Emma’s work advances the knowledge on the ecological dynamics of nutrient cycling and ecosystem recovery, supporting project’s mission to design effective and sustainable strategies for healthier lake ecosystems.

Andressa Freitas is an Ecology Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Southern Denmark.

As a Postdoctoral Researcher, Andressa is engaged in Work Package 5 (WP5), where she investigates the potential of lake sediment as an alternative fertiliser through plant growth experiments. Her work contributes to sustainable nutrient management and the promotion of circular economy principles in agriculture. 

Within the FERRO project, Andressa’s research supports the development of innovative solutions for lake restoration and resource recovery, helping to close nutrient loops and reduce environmental pressures on aquatic ecosystems.

Antonio Silva is an Ecology Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Southern Denmark.

Antonio is working within Work Package 5 (WP5), where he conducts plant growth experiments to explore the feasibility of lake sediment as an alternative fertiliser. 

His research focuses on sustainable agriculture and nutrient recycling, contributing to FERRO’s mission of enhancing soil fertility through environmentally friendly methods.

Gabriela Popova is a Senior Science Communication Expert at Pensoft Publishers. Gabriela has a double Bachelor’s Degree - one in Multimedia Design and Communications from the University College of Northern Denmark, and one in International Relations from the Aalborg University.

With her background and expertise in Communications, Gabriela is responsible for the development and implementation of sustainable communication and dissemination plans, managing social media, and creating engaging content into the FERRO project. 

At Pensoft, Gabriela is a lead in several EU-funded projects, centered on biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Raya Ganeva is a Science Communication Expert at Pensoft Publishers. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Book Publishing from Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”. 

Leveraging her background in project management, Raya serves as a communications co-lead for the FERRO project. 

She is responsible for developing and implementing communication and dissemination strategies, managing social media presence, and creating content to enhance engagement and outreach.

Olga Tammeorg is an Assoc. Prof. (Docent) in the Agricultural Sciences department of the University of Helsinki.
Olga’s research is focused on addressing the critical issue of nutrient pollution in aquatic ecosystems. Throughout her doctoral and postdoctoral investigations, Olga has pinpointed one of the significant challenges in this field: legacy phosphorus, which refers to accumulations of sediment phosphorus resulting from historical and ongoing anthropogenic activities.

Through the studies on multiple lakes in Finland and Estonia, Olga and her team have explored the reasons behind the frequent failures of many lake restoration initiatives. This exploration has culminated in the formulation of an approach that challenges and revises traditional paradigms in lake restoration.

In FERRO, Olga is actively engaged in furthering sustainable lake restoration techniques, focusing on the removal of lake sediments and the recycling of sediment phosphorus for use as fertilizer (WP9).

Priit Tammeorg is an Assoc. Prof. (Docent) in Agroecology, Department of Agricultural Sciences at the University of Helsinki.

Priit is passionate about exploring the ways to make agriculture more sustainable. His research focuses on biochars and lake sediment recycling to sequester carbon and recycle nutrients. 

Within FERRO, Priit is actively engaged in the removal of lake sediments and the recycling of sediment phosphorus for use as fertilizer (WP9).

Franco’s involvement in WP9 contributes to the development of a sustainable practice of lake restoration by sediment removal and sediment phosphorus reuse in agriculture. He will carry out comprehensive studies across several Finnish lakes and an Estonian lake (demonstration area).