My studies have been focussed on freshwater and river diatom taxonomy and ecology, with emphasis on diatoms from intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams. My aim is to understand how the effect of drying changes diatom community structure, and to some extent, physiology. I am now going to stray a bit into the harmful algal blooms, but look forward to keep working with the intermittent rivers. I hope that, with the help of this website, Early Career Researchers will find a platform to communicate and network with fellow diatomists.