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The Institute of Geosciences


The geosciences study the forces and processes that have driven the transformation of our planet for several billion years, creating ocean basins and mountains and destroying them again. This includes analyzing the formation of natural resources and their exploration with state-of-the-art recording techniques, assessing natural hazards and geohazards, the evolution of organisms and their relationship to the solid Earth, and increasingly, the impact of humans and global change on the Earth's surface, our habitat.

Our German-language Bachelor's program in Geosciences and English-language Master's programs in Geosciences and Remote Sensing, Geoinformation and Visualization, respectively, as well as the international doctoral program have the task of enabling students to apply a broad inventory of methods. This includes the development of a technical system and the ability to recognize interdisciplinary relationships and to transfer observations from the field into models. In doing so, we offer a variety of specialization options according to the methodological and content-related foci of the different research groups, various programs for the internationalization of studies, and first-class graduate training.

The institute plays a central role in the research focus Earth and Environmental Systems and is an active partner of the coordination platform Geo.X, which organizes the close network of earth and environmental science research institutions in the Berlin-Potsdam area. The institute currently also provides the president of the Geounion (Prof. M. R. Strecker).

Map of the earth shows vegetations desitiy

Ecosystems threatened

Taylor Smith, together with his co-author establish new method for reliable estimates of vegetation resilience...read more...

Isabel Wapenhans during her 2-minute poster presentation

Thermo 2023 at Riva del Garda: Two Potsdam PhD students convince jury during poster presentation

Isabel Wapenhans was awarded the 1st prize for her 2-minute presentation, Lingxiao Gong also won an award for her notable presentation. Congratulations!

Scherbaum putting on a special microphone at Givi Pirtskhelani. Also in the picture the singers Gigo Chamgeliani and Murad Pirtskhelani

Musical Scales beyond Major and Minor

Potsdam Seismology meets Musicology - and opens up new possibilities for computer-based recording and analysis of polyphonic singing...read more in the mag

River gravel of the Seti, Nepal. In the background the Annapurna Massif

New Study shows:

Himalayan valley-floor widths controlled by tectonically driven exhumation...read more

Airial view of the Great Barrier Reef

Climate Witnesses on Seabed - Dr. Manfred Mudelsee develops statistical methods and evaluates data

“Coral skeletons contain limestone that binds oxygen”, the environmental physicist Mudelsee explains. Within the frame of the SEARCH project he spends many

Thoralf Dietrich receives prize at Brandenburg Science Slam in Schwedt

Potsdam Geophysicist takes part: 2nd Brandenburg Science Slam in Schwedt

Doctoral student Thoralf Dietrich at the University of Potsdam had the hall buzzing with his gripping performance about volcanoes and glaciers...read more.

Pupils and teacher in classroom

More earth system knowledge in school!

GeoUnion Alfred-Wegener-Stiftung und DVGeo claim: Earth science content should be given a higher priority in school teaching...read more

On-site in Kenya: Prof. Olaka explains Geology and Geo-Resources

Geothermal Power Plant: Prof. Olaka together with Chancellor Scholz on-site in Kenya

Lydia Olaka who received her doctorate from University of Potsdam, now is Professor at the Technical University of Kenya in Nairobi, welcomes Chancellor Scholz and Kenyan President Ruto...read more

Geowissenschaftler Dr. Gerold Zeilinger mit AR-Brille

With the AR glasses to a better view

Gerold Zeilinger wants to use augmented reality to facilitate decisions in landscape planning. Many people cannot imagine complex objects in space when they see them on a flat plan or map. ...

graphical representation

New Insights into Deep Earthquakes in the Central Andes

Dr. Constanza Rodriguez Piceda (former PhD student of StRATEGy Graduate School) along with colleagues from UP and GFZ studied geological, seismological, and geodetic data to better understand....

Ausschnitt aus Video Vortrag "Zwischen Brötchen und Borussia" Thema: Minerale unter Hochdruck

Minerale unter Hochdruck - eine Reise ins Erdinnere - Vortrag in der Reihe "Brötchen und Borussia"

Hoher Druck begegnet uns im Leben, wenn wir einen Rennradreifen aufpumpen oder beim Tauchen in große Wassertiefen. Sehr hoher Druck entsteht, wenn ein Elefant Stilettos mit Pfennigabsätzen trüge...

Nachhaltige Technologien nachhaltiger machen

Alumna Debby Schmidt über seltene Erden und die Chancen des Bioleaching - Ob für Smartphones oder Elektroautos – modernste Technologien sind oft auf einen raren Rohstoff angewiesen: Seltene Erden...

Michaël Pons receives Outstanding Student and PhD candidate Presentation (OSPP) Award 2022

PhD student presents a poster at the EGU entitled: Variability of the shortening rate in Central Andes controlled by subduction dynamics and interaction between slab and overriding plate

Outstanding Student and PhD candidate Presentation (OSPP) Award is awarded to Melanie Lorenz

Her poster "FID GEO: Promoting Open Science for Geosciences (Lorenz, M.; Elger, K.; Achterberg, I.; Meistring, M.; Pfurr, N.; Semmler, M.)" wins award by EGU 2022

Frank Scherbaum and Caroline Bithell are holding their honorary doctorate certificate in their hands

Honorary doctorate awarded to Prof. Dr. Frank Scherbaum

This high honour recognizes the Institute´s former chair holder and his research in the field of ethnomusicology....

Kaboth-Bahr during fieldwork

Stefanie Kaboth-Bahr wins the 2023 Outstanding Early Career Scientist Award of the EGU SSP Division

The scientist will be honored for her achievement in stratigraphy, sedimentology and palaeontology. The award ceremony will take place during the EGU Gener

Bohrlokalität und Lager im Chew-Bahir-Becken in Südäthiopien.

Key phases of human evolution coincide with flickers in eastern Africa’s climate

Interdisciplinary research in southern Ethiopia enabled the deciphering of eastern Africa’s climatic heartbeat and shows how key phases of climate change i

Cover: Python Recipes for Earth Sciences – First Edition

New textbook on data analysis in the geosciences with Python

Martin H. Trauth of the Institute of Geosciences has published his fifth textbook on data analysis in the geosciences with SpringerNature-Verlag. ...