Signe Normand (born 26 June 1979) is a Danish biologist and educator, specializing in vegetation ecology. Since February 2014, she has been an assistant professor at

Aarhus University Aarhus University ( da, Aarhus Universitet, abbreviated AU) is a public research university with its main campus located in Aarhus, Denmark. It is the second largest and second oldest university in Denmark. The university is part of the Coimbra G ...

specializing in Danish flora and vegetation. In March 2015, in recognition for her research on vegetation in the

Arctic tundra In physical geography, tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. The term ''tundra'' comes through Russian (') from the Kildin Sámi word (') meaning "uplands", "treeless mo ...

, she received an International Rising Talent Fellowship, one of the L'Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science.

Biography

Normand became interested in natural history as a child when her grandfather, a biology teacher in

Esbjerg Esbjerg (, ) is a seaport town and seat of Esbjerg Municipality on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. By road, it is west of Kolding and southwest of Aarhus. With an urban population of 71,698 (1 January 2022)

, took her for walks through the woods, fields and marshes surrounding the family summerhouse in the little seaside resort of Blåvand in south-western

Jutland Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...

. She learnt the Latin names of the various plants and creatures, remembering them by creating rhymes. She attended a boarding school where biology was a constant interest and, after finishing high school in Denmark, spent a year experiencing nature and outdoor life while at a

folk high school Folk high schools (also ''Adult Education Center'', Danish: ''Folkehøjskole;'' Dutch: ''Volkshogeschool;'' Finnish: ''kansanopisto'' and ''työväenopisto'' or ''kansalaisopisto;'' German: ''Volkshochschule'' and (a few) ''Heimvolkshochschule ...

in Norway. On her return to Denmark, Normand studied biology at

graduating in 2004. She earned a master's degree in 2006 and a doctorate in 2010 under Jens-Christian Svenning concentrating throughout on the distribution and diversity patterns of European flora. Unlike many of those who earn their doctorates, Normand was keen to continue her research and travels. Despite being married (to the Swiss biologist Urs A. Treirer) and having a baby, she travelled with her family to America and Switzerland where she was able to complete her Post Doc at the

Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research The Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL, German: ''Eidgenössische Forschungsanstalt für Wald, Schnee und Landschaft'', French: ''Institut fédéral de recherches sur la forêt, la neige et le paysage'') is a Swi ...

in 2014. During her four years in Switzerland, her husband was able to find work as a teacher. Normand was awarded the L'Oréal-UNESCO prize for her research into changes in the vegetation of the Arctic tundra, especially those caused by the effects of

global warming In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in a broader sense also includes ...

on the flora of Greenland. Until recently, knowledge in the area was based primarily on satellite imaging or field studies but Normand was able to provide a much more detailed picture by making use of photography from the low-flying drones she guided over the regions investigated.

Selected publications

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Normand, Signe 1979 births Living people Danish women biologists Danish women scientists Academic staff of Aarhus University Danish ecologists 21st-century women scientists L'Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science fellows Danish women academics 21st-century Danish scientists 21st-century Danish women scientists