The Institute of Geosciences

Professor Manfred Strecker and Professor Bodo Bookhagen of the Institute of Earth Sciences 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, UP, and Torsten Geue - responsible for historic preservation in the Prignitz region - gave a presentation in the Museumsfabrik Pritzwalk. Visitors gained fascinating insights into archaeological geophysical prospecting and modern geophysical methods that can reveal hidden structures in the ground without causing damage. Read more about this and gain insight into modern imaging research methods.

The Fascination of Volcanoes: A Journey to the Earth’s Fiery Mountains

Alea Joachim (a PhD student in the Geophysics Research Group at the Institute of Earth Sciences) focuses her research on volcanoes. In November 2025, she gave a presentation at the NANO Science Centre in Potsdam, giving children aged eight and above an insight (with experiments, photos and videos) into the natural phenomenon of volcanism. 

On Tuesday 17^th of February, 18 doctoral candidates at the Institute of Geosciences came together at the Doctoral Seminar to present their science and discuss ideas with motivated peers. Their topics spanned the diverse research fields across the Institute of Geosciences at UP, AWI, and GFZ. This volunteer-run semesterly seminar gives doctoral researchers a chance to build their scientific skills– and it’s always an inspiring day at work. Curious to learn 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 compact 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. Maximilian Korges, geochemist at the Institute of Geosciences, discusses this topic in an interview with NANO

Photo: Northern part of the Ilimaussaq Complex (where rare earth deposits are found) in Greenland

From February 18 to 20, 2026, the Institute of Geosciences hosted a workshop that attracted not only the volcano seismologists and geophysicists, but also experts from the fields of geochemistry, petrology, remote sensing, and natural hazard research. Further information please find here.

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

WATER – this existential topic is the focus of the new Potsdam WaterHub, in which scientists from the Institute of Geosciences (Prof. Bookhagen and Prof. van der Beek) are actively involved. Brandenburg in particular must face the challenges of water management. The enormous importance of, among other things, the availability of clean water, dialogue with the interested public, and innovative research approaches are only some of the tasks that the members of the WaterHub will tackle. 

The scientist was honored for her poster related to her case study from the Tauern Window, Eastern European Alps. 

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

Fujun Wang and Isabel Wapenhans from the Institute of Geosciences are among 7 PhD students awarded for exceptional presentations during the Thermo conference in Kanazawa, Japan. After the conference, Prof. Dr. Peter van der Beek and Dr. Lingxiao Gong also ran a successful course on the software PecubeGUI with around 50 attendees.

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.

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 the study of geological processes and technologies related to energy exploration and utilization—addressing both traditional and renewable energy challenges and navigating the complex journey toward climate neutrality. Read more...

Geoscientists with their Magma Mia team - the university's second-largest team at the IKK BB-Company Run in Potsdam 2025

Isabel Wapenhans, PhD student in the General Geology working group (front left in the photo), was one of the fastest women. The participants were not only successful in the overall ranking but also clearly enjoyed the great event. The “Magma-Mia-Team” of the Geosciences can be easily recognized by their white helmets.

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).

Geoscientist Professor Martin Trauth gets to the bottom of this question...read more

Peter van der Beek and Max Wilke - professors at the Institute of Geosciences - have contributed. Please read more...

The Quaternary Geology and Geomorphology Division of the Geological Society of America (GSA) honors the work of Asil Newigy. Please read more...

On 27 January 2025, Philipp Weis was awarded the title of adjunct professor of Geology. The geologist has been working at the GFZ...read more

Georadar investigations bring the underground to light. Please read more....

Changes in sediment levels have a particularly strong impact on agriculture, water quality, flood management, and hydropower generation. Read more...