Dr. Katherine Sammler is a geographer, with a background in atmospheric science and physics. Leading the Marine Political Ecology group at the Helmholtz-Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) with the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) and University of Oldenburg in Germany. They conduct research at the intersection of science and politics in the realm of oceans, atmospheres, and outer space. In all areas, their work considers the role of knowledge, law, and power in defining global commons, access, and environmental justice. They have published on the politics of shifting borders due to sea level rise, and astronomy and space infrastructure in relation to settler colonial observation and occupation.