About us

From 2007 to 2017 in parallel to my studies worked in the Latvian Peat Producers' Association. Besides scientific studies, she also studied a variety of peat industry-related issues (export trends, socio-economic aspects, environmental impact, etc.).

Ilze is a Member of the Board of certification "Responsibly Produced Peat", as well as a secretary of the International Peatland Society of (IPS) Latvian National Committee and a member of the IPS VIII Commission "Peat and peatlands cultural aspects".

Organized several international events - the International Peat Technology Symposium (2014.g.), Baltic Peat Producers Forum (2008, 2011, 2014), etc.

She has prepared the information stands about peatlands and peat along trails at Cena Mire and Puikule Mire. Also, guided tours and lectures for different audiences (pupils, students, government employees, tourists, etc.) in peatlands and peat extraction sites.

Completed MSc in geology in June 2011 in the Faculty of Geography and Earth Sciences, University of Latvia, and defended Ph.D. in Earth Sciences at the Institute of Geology at the Tallinn University of Technology in January 2015. From January 2015 until August 2017 worked as a post-doctoral researcher in the consortium project headed by Prof. Heikki Seppä “Ecological history and long-term dynamics of the Boreal forest ecosystem (EBOR)” in the Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki. From July 2017 to January 2021 assoc.prof., but later on (2021) a professor (full) in Quaternary geology and geomorphology at the University of Latvia. Since February 2018 Senior Researcher at the University of Latvia. Previously from 2009 to 2011 worked as a senior expert in the Licence sector at the Latvian Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development. Since January 2018 Researcher at the Department of geology at the Tallinn University of Technology. Member of the "Latvian National Peat Society" since 2023.

The primary research field is palaeoecology with a focus on the reconstruction of past vegetation dynamics. Main research methods:

• pollen analysis
• non-pollen palynomorphs
• macrocharcoal

Ieva’s scientific interest has always been associated with freshwater ecosystems and lake sediments. At the University of Latvia, she studied environmental science specializing in paleolimnology. Her Master`s thesis was about environmental changes and anthropogenic impact in three lakes (Lake Bušnieku, Lake Engure and Lake Svente) over the Holocene. She applied several palaeoecological methods, such as pollen, macroremain, diatom and grain-size analyses, as well as loss-on-ignition and magnetic susceptibility.

She used her knowledge in paleolimnology further in Ph.D. studies at the Institute of Geology at Tallinn University of Technology (TUT) where she obtained Ph.D. in December 2015. In Ph.D. research “Diatom Stratigraphy and Relative Sea Level Changes of the Eastern Baltic Sea over the Holocene” she reconstructed relative sea level changes in the eastern Baltic Sea over the last 12 000 years. Research objects were isolation basins – coastal lakes that once were part of the larger water basin and due to the land uplift over time were isolated from the Baltic Sea. The key bio-proxy that is substantially required to determine the transition from marine to freshwater environment is diatom analysis. Ieva gradually improved skills in diatom identification under the supervision of eminent diatom researchers – Dr. Atko Heinsalu (TUT), Prof. Jan Risberg (Stockholm University) and Dr. Kaarina Weckström (Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland). Besides diatom analysis she applied litho- and chronostratigraphy to find the isolation contact in the isolation basins, as well as geographical information systems to determine the height of the thresholds and other geomorphological markers.

Since 2016 researcher at the Institute of Biology at University of Latvia.

Since 2013, senior expert at the Environmental Impact Assessment Division of the Environment State Bureau, a subordinate institution of the Ministry of the Environmental Protection and Regional Development. The main duties of the post are related to the provision of environmental impact assessment (EIA) procedures - preparation of decisions on the application of EIA and impact assessment programmes, assessment of EIA reports and preparation of opinions on EIA reports in areas mainly related to mining, wind farms and activities that may have a substantial impact upon protected nature territories of European significance (NATURA 2000 sites).

Currently, a leading researcher at the Latvian Institute of Aquatic Ecology.

Inta also has experience as a project developer and manager at the Institute of Organic Synthesis of Latvia, and obtained a project manager qualification at the "Turība" business university.

Research interests: functioning of aquatic ecosystems, restoration of aquatic habitats, biodiversity, micro-crustaceans, paleolimnology, anthropogenic pollution, including microplastics in aquatic habitats.

Skills: preparation of project applications, research design development, project administration and management, analysis of zooplankton (Cladocera, Copepoda), analysis of littoral micro-crustaceans, analysis of Cladocera fossil remains in sediments, collection, preparation and analysis of microplastic pollution in various environmental matrices.

• plant macroremains
• archaeobotany
• vegetation history
• palaeoecology
• stratigraphy