University of Freiburg Launches Major Initiative in Earth and Planetary Geodynamics

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Jul 18, 2024
The University of Freiburg has announced the establishment of a new tenure track professorship in Earth and Planetary Geodynamics within the Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources. This development is supported by a 1.71 million euro grant from the Volkswagen Foundation. This tenure track professorship is part of a broader initiative to integrate Earth system sciences with planetary sciences, which also includes the creation of the Earth System Simulation Lab (EaSySim) and a new master's degree program in Earth Sciences.

The initiative aims to incorporate planetary influences into research and teaching by comparing Earth with Venus. Prof. Dr. Heiner Schanz, Dean of the Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, highlighted the significance of this initiative: "By integrating planetary perspectives, we can gain valuable insights into Earth's past, present, and future. At the same time, the University of Freiburg will thus position itself nationally and internationally as a centre for Earth System Sciences. We're grateful to the Volkswagen Foundation for their support."

Exploring Earth and Venus
Prof. Dr. Thomas Kenkmann, professor of General Geology and Structural Geology, and coordinator of the strategic concept for enhancing Earth System Sciences, explained the benefits of this interdisciplinary approach: "The consistent integration of findings from research on Venus will enhance our understanding of the planetary factors that influence climate stability, the availability of liquid water, and planetary habitability."

Dr. Anna Gulcher from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the California Institute of Technology is also involved in the initiative. Her research focuses on modeling geodynamic processes of Earth and Venus as "twin planets." She is participating in NASA's upcoming Venus mission (VERITAS). "The University of Freiburg's Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources is enabling intensive collaboration with colleagues from Planetary and Earth Sciences as well as from Environmental Natural and Social Sciences, which I find extremely interesting," said Dr. Gulcher.

Strategic Advancements in Earth System Sciences
The new tenure track professorship is central to the University of Freiburg's strategic realignment of Earth System Sciences. Under the title "EPSS@UFR - Earth and Planetary System Sciences," the strategy includes various measures to promote the innovative combination of Earth System Sciences and planetary sciences.

The Earth System Simulation Lab (EaSySim) will offer infrastructure and computing capacity for modeling and simulations, supporting the development of a research agenda and joint projects with national and international partners. The revamped master's program in Earth Sciences will provide students with options to specialize in Earth and Planetary Sciences, Environmental Earth Sciences, Hydrology, or Environmental Modelling and Data Science. The initiative also aims to boost science communication and outreach through multimedia content and a partnership with the Freiburg Planetarium.