The Institute of Geosciences

Draupadi Mothan, a master's student in the Mineralogy group at the Institute of Geosciences, received the DMG Young Scientist Award for her poster presentation at the GeoMinBochum conference 2026.

It must have been nothing short of paradise: About 10,000 years ago, the Sahara was green. Martin Trauth brings pyramids to NANO to explain why a climate change about 5,000 years ago marked the end of paradise, but the beginning of one of the most astonishing cultures in human history.

On September 25, 2026, the Children’s University will once again open its doors to elementary schools in Potsdam and the surrounding area. The Institute of Geosciences also hopes to inspire children’s interest in the natural sciences. Dr. Sebastian Heimann will reveal a few secrets about volcanoes, and Prof. Dr. Martin Trauth will trace the footsteps of early humans. The spectacular Trashcano is also back on the program.

Prof. Bodo Bookhagen answered questions from journalists at Deutschlandfunk, T-Online, Radioeins, and others about the causes of the devastating glacier collapse on August 26, 2026. The professor at the Institute of Geosciences is an expert on sediment transport in permafrost and glacial areas of the Himalayan region and, as a co-author of a 2021 Science article, had already highlighted the increasing risk of flooding and mudslides due to climate change.

On August 5, 2026, the Institute of Geosciences was once again actively promoting science education. Alea Joachim was a guest at the KiKuK e. V. association in Falkensee, which had organized a diverse summer program.  The volcanologist answered many questions from the nearly 30 curious elementary school children.

The GATEWAY.UP project offers a platform that not only promotes scientific exchange but also supports intercultural dialogue. For students in the participating degree programs, this means they gain access to a wide range of international conferences, workshops, and networking opportunities.

Supporting doctoral students is a top priority at the Institute of Geosciences. This was clearly demonstrated at this year’s awards ceremony, where Professor van der Beek and Professor Marwan were honored with the SUPERvisor Award. Additional awards (non-monetary) went to professors Eva Eibl and Maria Mutti. 

As part of an ICDP project for a deep borehole in the Chew Bahir Basin in southern Ethiopia, a three-day ICDP/Geo.X workshop was held with nearly 90 participants from 18 countries. What made the event unique was that it brought together two venues—in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, and at the University of Potsdam—via an online hub. 

Professor Manfred Strecker and Professor Bodo Bookhagen of the Institute of Geosciences are supporting the German working group from the Leopoldina’s Presidium on the topic of disaster risk reduction through new technologies and international cooperation, which is meeting in Washington, D.C., with representatives from the other G20 countries.

In the geosciences, X-rays are used to examine building materials as well as soil and rock samples. The powder diffractometry in the XRD laboratory of Christina Günter and Wolfgang Morgenroth has the charm that the crystals do not have to be present in their pure form, but can also be detected relatively quickly and with a high degree of accuracy in a mixture of different minerals in one and the same sample.

Dr. Philipp Koyan—and Torsten Geue, who is responsible for historic preservation in the Prignitz region—visited the Museumsfabrik Pritzwalk and provided fascinating insights into archeogeophysical prospecting and modern geophysical methods that can be used to non-destructively reveal hidden structures in the ground.

The Fascination of Volcanoes: A Journey to the Earth’s Fiery Mountains
Alea Joachim (a doctoral candidate in the Geophysics Research Group at the Institute of Geosciences) focuses her research on volcanoes. In November 2025, she gave a presentation at the NANO Science Center in Potsdam, where she used experiments, photos, and videos to give children ages eight and up an insight into the natural phenomenon of volcanism.

On Tuesday, February 17, 2026, 18 doctoral candidates from the University of Potsdam gathered to present their work. The topics reflected the diverse research areas in the geosciences at the Institute of Geosciences, the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI), the Helmholtz Center for Geosciences (GFZ), and other partner institutes. The seminar makes an important contribution to the presentation skills of these young researchers. Read more...

Prof. Dr. Max Wilke is one of the researchers working at the XAS beamline BM23 at the European Synchrotron Facility in Grenoble to address questions such as: How do magmas densify in the deep Earth’s mantle? How can we improve our understanding of these processes by using analog materials such as glass? Read more…

Occurrence, Mining, and Obstacles. In an interview with 3sat NANO: Maximilian Korges, geochemist at the Institute of Geosciences

Photo: Northern part of the Ilimaussaq Complex (which also contains rare earth deposits) in Greenland

From February 18 to 20, 2026, a workshop was held at the Institute of Geosciences that brought together not only to volcanic seismologists and geophysicists but also to experts in the fields of geochemistry, petrology, remote sensing, and natural hazard research. Read more…

During her stay at the Institute of Geosciences, Prof. Dr. Donna Whitney is looking forward to “access to state-of-the-art research facilities with excellent technical support and the opportunity to exchange ideas with many interesting researchers in her field and related areas.”

The new Potsdam WaterHub, in which researchers from the Institute of Geosciences (Professor Bookhagen and Professor van der Beek) are actively involved, offers a dynamic community and platform to support Brandenburg’s water researchers—across institutions, faculties, and disciplines—in their efforts to network, exchange ideas, and develop innovative and interdisciplinary collaborations. 

At this year's European Geosciences Union (EGU) conference, the doctoral student Isabel Wapenhans received the OSPP Award for her poster presentation on her research in the Tauern Window in the Eastern Alps.

Manfred Strecker, a senior professor at the Institute of Geosciences at the University of Potsdam, is one of this year's recipients of the LELOIR Prize awarded by the Argentine government. ...

On September 26, 2025, the Children’s University will once again open its doors to elementary schools in Potsdam and the surrounding area. The Institute of Geosciences also hopes to inspire children’s interest in the natural sciences. Dr. Sebastian Heimann and Prof. Dr. Eva Eibl will reveal a few secrets about volcanoes, and Prof. Dr. Martin Trauth will trace the footsteps of early humans.

Doctorate candidates Fujun Wang and Isabel Wapenhans from the Institute of Geosciences were among the seven award recipients at the Thermo Conference in Kanazawa, Japan.  Prof. Peter van der Beek and Dr. Lingxiao Gong led a course on the PecubeGUI software with about 50 participants.

Due to the radiative thermal conductivity of the mineral olivine, only oceanic plates over 60 million years old and subducting at more than 10 centimeters per year remain sufficiently cold to transport water into the Earth's deep mantle. Scientists from the Institute of Geosciences and from the Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) Potsdam, together with international colleagues, published their findings in the journal “Nature Communications”.

The nationwide “Heimspiel Wissenschaft” series brings scientists together with residents in their rural hometowns. On June 27, 2025, volcanologist Alea Joachim will host a “Heimspiel Wissenschaft” event in Nordbögge, North Rhine-Westphalia, to discuss the formation of volcanoes, the associated dangers, and the monitoring of volcanic eruptions.

Prof. Dr. Maria Mutti, Chair of Sedimentology at the University of Potsdam, has been elected Vice President (Regions) of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG). The AAPG is one of the oldest and largest international professional societies in the geosciences, with a focus on geological processes and technologies related to energy exploration and utilization—addressing both traditional and renewable energy challenges and navigating the journey toward climate neutrality. 

Geoscientists with their “Magma Mia” team was the University's second-largest team at the IKK BB-Company Run in Potsdam 2025 - recognizable by their white helmets. Isabel Wapenhans, PhD student in the General Geology working group (front left in the photo), was one of the fastest women. Hugues Lantuit was nominated in the “fastest supervisor” category - he is a professor at the Institute of Geosciences (jointly appointed with the Alfred Wegener Institute).