Hello, I am Julia Forsbacka and I’m a new doctoral student under Edith Hammer in the SoilChip group that now is under Functional Ecology. I will work with plant pathogenic soilborne fungi and oomycetes and their spatio-temporal spread in agricultural fields through soilchips and deep learning techniques in a larger project with Lund University, LTH and the Swedish Agricultural University (SLU).
I have a background as a horticulturist (plant biologist with a focus on horticultural crops and crop management) with a focus in soil and integrated pest management. I did my master thesis at SLU in collaboration with LU and looked into restproduct compost and it’s impact on soil characteristics, soil microbiota and apple trees as compared to conventional practices. I have a big interest for sustainable food production and how circular economy and integrated pest management can help us in getting the food we rely on. After completing my masters I joined the soilchip group to help with culturing fungal- and fungal-like plant pathogens which then lead to this position a year later.
I am a rather active person who, like most people here, love learning new things, not only related to my studies (last year I spent most of my free time studying Arabic). I have a horse and a dog and when I’m not in the lab, I can usually be found in the barn or knitting, drawing and drinking tea on the couch at home. If you want to discuss crop management and the implications of growing food, look for me. Or if you want tips on Swedish pastries and food, or want to discuss horses, I am always more than happy to give you the run down.
