PD Dr. Heidi Kreibich took over as head of the Hydrology Section at the GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences on October 15. She succeeds Prof. Dr. Bruno Merz, who stepped down after 23 years. Heidi Kreibich joined the Hydrology Section at GFZ in 2002 for her first postdoctoral position. In 2015, she took over as head of the “Flood Risk and Climate Adaptation” working group and became a lecturer („Privatdozentin“, PD) at the Geography Department of Humboldt University in Berlin. Her scientific work focuses on the assessment, modelling, and management of flood damage.

Heidi Kreibich has received numerous awards for her work, most recently the Volker Medal, the international prize for hydrology awarded by the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS), UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) and the WMO (World Meteorological Organization). She holds various leading positions in international committees, e.g., President of the Natural Hazards Division of the European Geosciences Union and President of the International Commission on Human-Water Feedbacks of the IAHS.

Former section head Bruno Merz will devote more time to scientific projects at the GFZ in the coming years. He has been head of the Hydrology Section since its founding in 2002. He says: “I have been planning to step down from my leadership position for several years and am very happy to be able to focus more on scientific content and projects than before.” Bruno Merz has also received numerous honors for his work. In 2020, he was awarded the Volker Medal and in 2018 he was elected a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union (AGU).