Thilo Paul-Stüve and Dr Claire Donelly are the new heads of Sections 5.1 “Data and Information Management” and 5.2 “eScience Centre” in Department 5 as of 15 November 2025. They succeed Roland Bertelmann and Martin Hammitzsch. Marc Hanisch and Luise Ott were acting heads of the two sections since January and May 2025, respectively. We would like to express our sincere thanks to both of them for taking on this task.
Thilo Paul-Stüve studied computer science at Bielefeld University. After working at the Cluster of Excellence for Cognitive Interaction Technologies in Bielefeld and Kiel University (CAU), he was most recently responsible for developing the Schleswig-Holstein State Initiative for Research Data Management (FDM-SH).
Dr Claire Donnelly studied geography at the University of Bristol, where she obtained her doctorate with a thesis on modelling the dynamics of the Northern Patagonian Ice Field. After working at Nagoya University and the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI), she is moving from the Netherlands eScience Centre to the GFZ.
Section 5.1 “Data and Information Management” is the central service point for all aspects of scientific publishing at GFZ – from the dissemination to the archiving of scientific results. This includes all types of products, such as textual publications, research data, software, etc. An important basis for this are the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) for promoting ‘Open Science’ as a paradigm for digitally working science.
To this end, the section operates the joint library of the Albert Einstein Science Park as a central service facility for scientific publishing on Telegrafenberg. It is used jointly by the research institutions AWI, GFZ, PIK and RIFS and provides printed and electronic media as well as information required for current research. The library is also open to teachers and students at university institutions and anyone interested in geoscientific issues.
With its subject-specific research data repository GFZ Data Services as its central infrastructure, the section also specialises in research data management and offers services for the citable publication and archiving of curated research data and scientific software.
The mission of Section 5.2 “eScience Centre” is to implement digital transformation in the geosciences using current and future-proof information technologies (IT). To this end, various services are offered to the scientific sections of the GFZ as well as to other Helmholtz Centres and scientific organisations.
The eScience Centre is also involved in strategic and organisational development in the areas of research data infrastructures, research software engineering and eScience platforms/digital twins at the GFZ, within the Helmholtz Association and in national and international initiatives.
