Promotion of innovative research projects
Highly innovative/high risk projects are supported across GFZ sections and PoF-Topics The "GFZ Discovery Fund "offers up to two PostDoc positions per year for a duration of three years for young scientists that aim at adding to the current and future direction of GFZ’s research. Successful candidates are expected to define innovative scientific projects and to identify future fields of research within the GFZ sections. The research topic can be freely chosen, but must be assigned to at least one of the GFZ's PoF-Topics, have an interdisciplinary approach, and are carried out in close cooperation with at least two GFZ sections.
Ionospheric change: effects on climate, magnetic field and satellites
![[Translate to English:] Bild Sahar Sobhkhiz Miandehni](/fileadmin/_processed_/6/d/csm_Sahar_Sobhkhiz-Miandehi_155e9da88c.webp)
Dr. Sahar Sobhkhizmiandehi conducts her research in the GFZ Section 1.1 Space Geodetic Techniques in collaboration with Section 2.3 Geomagnetism.
Project description:
In my GFZ Discovery Fellowship project, I investigate how long-term climate change and the Earth’s evolving magnetic field are shaping multi-decadal trends in the ionosphere — a region that directly affects satellite navigation and communication. I combine complementary observations (e.g., GNSS-based total electron content, radio occultation electron density profiles, ionosonde measurements, and Swarm data) to build a robust, observation-based framework for detecting and attributing ionospheric changes since the late 1990s. A key goal is to disentangle the relative roles of CO₂-driven thermospheric cooling, secular geomagnetic field changes (including effects related to the South Atlantic Anomaly), and atmospheric wave forcing from below. The outcome will be trend climatologies and driver-resolved attribution maps that can support both space-weather diagnostics and long-term improvements in GNSS correction strategies. Ultimately, this will improve our understanding of how the near-Earth space environment responds to climate change and help make satellite-based technologies more reliable over the long term.
Background:
My research has been focused on the interface of space geodesy, upper-atmosphere dynamics, and geomagnetism. I recently completed my PhD in Geoscience at the University of Potsdam, where I studied atmospheric wave signatures in the ionospheric E region using GNSS radio occultation and complementary observations. I hold an MSc in Geodesy from K. N. Toosi University of Technology (Tehran) and have published on ionospheric variability and atmosphere–ionosphere coupling. At GFZ, I’m excited to connect multi-instrument ionospheric observations with both climate-related forcing and magnetic-field evolution, in collaboration across sections.
Subduction zones: Deep learning, DAS, and high-resolution earthquake localization
![[Translate to English:] Selbstaufnahme Jannes Münchmeyer](/fileadmin/_processed_/4/f/csm_Jannes_M%C3%BCnchmeyer_818d796c41.jpg)
Dr. Jannes Münchmeyer conducts his research in the GFZ Section 4.1 Lithosphere Dynamics in collaboration with Sections 2.4 Seismology and 1.1 Space Geodetic Techniques.
Project description:
In his Discovery Fellowship, Jannes Münchmeyer will study, how small-scale structural properties of the subduction megathrust interface define its large-scale and long-term dynamics. With recent deep-learning-based earthquake catalogs, the density of detectable micro-earthquakes has increased almost tenfold. However, right now, the methods to precisely locate these quakes are limited as they can’t handle the amount of available data. The project seeks to develop a scalable method to precisely locate this wealth of earthquakes. Based on these precise maps of earthquake locations, Jannes will map the fine-structure of the interface, such as the fault zone width and the segmentation into seismic and aseismic patches. These fine-scale properties control the mechanical behavior of the interface. He will therefore link these properties to independent geodetic and geological observations, to understand the role of fine-structures in controlling subduction dynamics. In addition, the project aims to incorporate data from distributed acoustic sensing (DAS), a method that turns a regular telecommunication fiber into a densely spaced sensor array. Such DAS instrumentation allows for continuous recordings in hard-to-reach areas, for example, offshore, and will thereby allow to study the structure of the shallow subduction megathrust.
Background:
Jannes Münchmeyer obtained an interdisciplinary PhD between computer science and seismology at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and the GFZ, working on machine learning methods for real-time assessment of earthquakes. Afterwards, he worked as a Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellow at the Université Grenoble Alpes and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His research combines geophysical questions with the development of novel methods for the analysis of large-scale data.
Pilze in geothermischen Reservoiren: Vielfalt und Auswirkungen
Dr. Danaé Bregnard conducts her research in GFZ Section 4.3 Geoenergy in collaboration with Sections 3.2 Organic and Earth Surface Geochemistry, .3.5 Interface Geochemistry and 3.3 Micobiology.
Project description:
Within her GFZ Discovery Fellowship, Dr. Danaé Bregnard is looking at the fungal communities present in different geothermal reservoirs. Overall, the project seeks to understand how diverse and active fungi are in these systems, which often present conditions that are extreme for life (e.g very high temperatures, pressures, and salinities). Furthermore, the project aims to understand if fungi are involved in processes leading to geothermal infrastructure damages such as biofilm formation, corrosion induction or mineral precipitation. This will be done using a combination of molecular biology techniques on geothermal fluid samples and cultivation experiments in the laboratory. Bregnard will conduct her research in the GFZ 4.3 Geoenergy section, in collaboration with the GFZ sections 3.2 Organic Geochemistry, 3.5 Interface Geochemistry and 3.6 Geomicrobiology.
Background:
Dr. Danaé Bregnard completed her PhD in the Laboratory of Microbiology at the University of Neuchâtel (Switzerland). Within her thesis, she assessed the bacterial and fungal diversity present in different geothermal plants around Europe, showing that microorganisms are present and diverse in these systems. Afterwards, she worked on the lung fungal pathogen Aspergillus niger at the University of Neuchâtel and on the improvement of methods to detect life on other planets at the University of Bern.
Mountain weathering and the carbon cycle in climate change
Dr. Romano Clementucci conducts his research in the GFZ Section 3.2 Organic and Earth Surface Geochemistry in collaboration with Sections 1.4 Remote Sensing and Geoinformatics and 4.1 Lithosphere Dynamics.
Project description:
Starting a research project on weathering and erosion of mountain belt at the semiarid-Mediterranean climate transition.
Dr. Romano Clementucci is currently a Discovery Fellow at the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences (Potsdam). His project aims to decipher the interplay between physical erosion and chemical weathering by combining geomorphic approaches with geochemical analyses and hyperspectral remote-sensing techniques. Rock weathering and erosion at Earth’s surface are key regulators of the long-term inorganic carbon cycle and, ultimately, Earth’s habitability. Mountain belts, characterized by active uplift and continuous exposure of fresh minerals, are often considered hotspots of this coupling.
The objective of his current research is to assess how uplift, erosion, and climate jointly modulate weathering fluxes across the semi-arid to Mediterranean transition, with the goal of providing a more comprehensive and quantitative assessment of the inorganic carbon budget in mountain landscapes.
Background:
Dr. Romano Clementucci finished his study at Sapienza University of Rome and obtained hs PhD from Roma Tre University in 2022. During his PhD, he investigated the long-term topographic evolution of Atlas Mountains in Morcco, focusing on the interaction between tectonics, climate and lithologies. As part of this work, he spent a year visiting the same institute, further developing his expertise in mountain building and tectonic geomorphology. From 2023 to 2025, Clementucci was a visiting researcher at ETH Zurich, where he expanded his research to explore the links between landscape evolution, erosion dynamics, and biodiversity across strong climatic gradients in Madagascar.
GFZ Discovery Fellowship - 5. Call (2023)
Investigation of methane sinks in Germany
Dr. Jana Träumer conducts her research in the GFZ Section 3.7 Geomicrobiology in collaboration with Section 1.4 Remote Sensing and Geoinformatics.
Beginn:
15.03.2024
Project description:
As a new GFZ Discovery Fellow, Jana Täumer explores the soil methane sink in Germany. Soils are the only known biological methane sink, mediated by microorganisms that consume this powerful greenhouse gas (methanotrophs). Her project aims to provide valuable insights into mitigating climate change by leveraging the natural potential of these microbes by using environmental microbiome engineering. Furthermore, she seeks to approximate how methane uptake of soils may change due to climate change. The project includes laboratory incubations with different microorganisms and soils, simulating different climate change scenarios. Furthermore, she will elucidate the soil methane sink and the distribution of methane-consuming bacteria in Germany using a combination of field measurements, molecular techniques, and remote sensing approaches.
Background:
Jana Täumer completed her doctoral thesis at the Institute of Microbiology at the University of Greifswald, during which she studied the methane cycle in soil and the associated biotic and abiotic factors. She then researched microbial methane uptake and methane release in forest soils and how they are altered due to climate change at Arizona State University.
The Fellowships of the GFZ Discovery Fund run for up to three years and support particularly innovative projects that identify future research fields within the GFZ research groups. The research topic can be chosen freely, but must be assigned to one of the GFZ's research groups in the fourth funding period of the Helmholtz Association's programme-oriented funding POF IV, as well as being interdisciplinary in nature and carried out in close cooperation with at least two GFZ sections.
Researching ground vibrations in connection with animal movements
Dr. René Steinmann conducts research in GFZ Section 2.6 Seismic Hazard and Risk Dynamics, in cooperation with GFZ Section 2.4 Seismology.
Beginn:
01.01.2024
René Steinmann’s work utilizes seismic sensors - usually used to study geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes - to monitor ground vibrations related to animal movement in the African savanna. This approach aims to provide a non-invasive and continuous means of tracking habitat usage and undisturbed behavior of various species. The project addresses the challenges of human development, illegal poaching, and climate change by integrating seismic sensors into conservation programs. The project seeks to bridge the gap between seismology and animal biology, using advanced seismic data processing, machine learning, and newly collected field data to develop a robust methodology for ecological monitoring and the protection of endangered species. Additionally, the project seeks to explore the influence of the Anthropocene on the seismic wavefield and its potential implications for the well-being of animals. René Steinmann will conduct research in GFZ Section 2.6 Seismic Hazard and Risk Dynamics and will closely collaborate with GFZ Section 2.4 Seismology and the animal vibration lab at the University of Oxford.
Background:
René Steinmann accomplished his doctoral thesis on at the Université Grenoble Alpes in France in December 2022, where he worked on unsupervised machine learning methods to scan large seismic time series data for hidden signal patterns. Afterwards he visited the GFZ with a Helmholtz visiting researcher grant. During his research, René analyzed seismic vibrations coming from cities, fault zones and volcanoes, and now he will analyze seismic vibrations coming from terrestrial life.
GFZ Discovery Fellowship - 4. Call (2022)
Investigation of volcano-cryosphere interaction
Dr. Alina Shevchenko performs her research in GFZ Section 1.4 'Remote Sensing and Geoinformatics' performs the research in collaboration with GFZ Sections 2.1 'Physics of Earthquakes and Volcanoes' and 4.6 'Geomorphology'.
Beginn:
01.11.2022
Project description:
Alina Shevchenko's project is devoted to the investigation of volcano-cryosphere interaction and associated hazardous processes. Eruption in a glacial or permafrost environment can cause such hazards as sector collapses, landslides, lahars, volcanic lake tsunamis, and glacial lake outbursts. That is why the project aims to develop an innovative monitoring system of active volcanoes in high-latitude regions. The monitoring system will based on multisensor satellite and UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) observations. Besides, Shevchenko uses the available photogrammetric archives of high-resolution data to reproduce topographies of rapidly changing volcanoes over several decades. This will detect morphological precursors of hazardous events and estimate the input of volcanic heat flow and climate change into the degrading cryosphere. The remote sensing results will be used for analog modeling of the hazardous processes with further hazards assessment.
Background:
Shevchenko accomplished her doctoral thesis on volcanic geomorphology at Saint Petersburg State University, being also deeply involved in the process of onsite volcanic activity monitoring at the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology in Kamchatka.
Research on organic carbon dynamics in redox-impacted Arctic soils under a warming climate
Dr. Jeffrey Paulo Perez conducts his research in the GFZ Section 3.2 “Organic Geochemistry” in cooperation with Section 3.5 “Interface Geochemistry”.
Beginn:
01.11.2022
Projektbeschreibung:
Jeffrey Paulo Perez will work on organic carbon dynamics in redox-impacted Arctic soils under a warming climate. Organic carbon (OC) is stabilized by its interaction with iron (Fe) redox minerals in the soil, which help with organic matter build-up and OC retention at mineral interfaces. Applied to the massive Arctic peatland OC reservoir, this interaction influences the source/sink behavior of soil-derived greenhouse gasses. This again is important for anticipating the magnitude of soil-derived greenhouse gas release as a consequence and accelerator of climate change.
Specifically, his project will focus on developing a molecular-level biogeochemical OC-Fe interaction model. The model assesses what controls carbon cycling in (sub)Arctic environments. By elucidating OC-Fe transformation pathways and mechanisms, Perez will quantify the fundamental processes that determine OC stabilization in (sub)Arctic peatlands under future warming climate scenarios.
Perez earned his PhD from the Freie Universität Berlin and GFZ Potsdam in 2020. He investigated the formation of the redox-active Fe mineral, green rust, and their interaction with arsenic species. Afterwards, he worked on Fe redox chemistry and their influence on nutrient availability in oxygen-poor modern and ancient environments.
The Fellowships of the GFZ Discovery Fund run for up to three years and support particularly innovative projects that identify future research fields within the GFZ research groups. The research topic can be chosen freely, but must be assigned to one of the GFZ's research groups in the fourth funding period of the Helmholtz Association's programme-oriented funding POF IV, as well as being interdisciplinary in nature and carried out in close cooperation with at least two GFZ sections.
GFZ Discovery Fellowship - 3. Call (2021)
Modelling mantle exhumation during rift and basin inversions
Dr. Frank Zwaan conducts his research in the GFZ Section 2.5 ‘Geodynamic Modelling' in cooperation with the GFZ sections 4.1 ’Lithosphere Dynamics‘ and 4.8 ‘Geoenergy’.
Beginn:
01.03.2022
Projektbeschreibung:
Frank Zwaan, who is coming to the GFZ from the Institute of Geology at the University of Bern, will focus his project on modelling mantle exhumation during rift and basin inversions and the implications for the exploration of natural hydrogen. Basin inversions are a common phenomenon worldwide. The inversion, i.e. reactivation, of normal fault systems within a basin, for example, has a significant impact on its final structure and alters reservoirs and fluid paths.
Frank Zwaan's project goal as part of the GFZ Discovery Fund Fellowship is two-fold:First, to apply lithospheric-scale numerical models to unravel how plate tectonic processes can exhume mantle material, and secondly assessing the potential for hydrogen generation from such exhumed mantle material, which represents a promising but so far largely overlooked source of green energy. Frank Zwaan will conduct research in GFZ Section 2.5 - Geodynamic Modelling and will closely collaborate with GFZ Sections 4.1 - Lithosphere Dynamics and 4.8 - Geoenergy, among others.
Background:
After studying geology and tectonics, Frank Zwaan did his doctoral thesis at the University of Bern on analogue modelling of continental rift tectonics. He subsequently launched a multidisciplinary research project on continental rifting in Ethiopia at the University of Florence, before returning to Bern for a project on analogue modelling of lithosheric-scale rifting processes.
Physics-informed deep learning for fibre-optic distributed acoustic measurements
Dr. Benjamin Schwarz conducts his research in the GFZ Section 2.2 'Geophysical Imaging of the Subsurface' in cooperation with Sections 4.2 - 'Geomechanics and Scientific Drilling' and 4.5 - 'Sedimentary Basin Modelling'.
Beginn:
01.03.2022
Project description:
Benjamin Schwarz project will focus on physics-informed deep learning for fibre-optic distributed acoustic measurements. This new measurement technique promises unprecedented resolution but ammasses extremely large and complex datasets. By drawing on recent advances in scientific machine learning the goal of his GFZ Discovery Fund Fellowship project is to arrive at a physically consistent but efficient processing and simulation framework that will enable new discoveries and improved process understanding based on these novel observations.
Background:
Schwarz earned his PhD from the University of Hamburg, where he already worked on unifying seismic subsurface imaging approaches based on physical principles. At the University of Oxford, he conducted research at the interface of controlled-source and earthquake seismology and developed novel approaches for seismic and radar-based geophysical imaging.
GFZ Discovery Fellowship - 2. Call (2019)
MicroModel: Microscale controls to model microbial greenhouse gas production
Dr. Joanne Heslop conducts her research in der GFZ Section 3.3 Geomikrobiology in cooperation with the Section 3.2 Organic Geochemistry.
Beginn:
01.10.2019
Project description:
Joanne Heslop comes from Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada, and has started her postdoc fellowship in October. Egbert Jolie joins GFZ from Iceland GeoSurvey ÍSOR, in Reykjavík, Iceland, and will start in January 2020.
Joanne Henslop’s project is titled “MicroModel: Microscale controls to model microbial greenhouse gas production”. She studied geochemical and microbial controls on methane production in an Arctic thaw lake environment during her PhD at University of Alaska, Fairbanks. Following graduation, she continued to examine organic matter processing and greenhouse gas production in the Canadian High Arctic. The aim of her GFZ Discovery Fellowship project is to incorporate high resolution microbial and organic matter data into geochemical rate models to predict greenhouse gas production potentials. She will be working in GFZ Section Geomicrobiology, and closely collaborate with GFZ Section Organic Geochemistry.
Transport of Magmatic Gases and Implication for Georesources and Geohazards
Dr. Egbert Jolie conducts his research in the GFZ Section 4.8 Geoenergy.
Beginn:
01.01.2020
Project description:
Egbert Jolie will start a project called “Transport of Magmatic Gases and Implication for Georesources and Geohazards”. After graduating from TU Freiberg he became the scientific coordinator of geothermal exploration projects in the East African Rift in Rwanda, Tanzania, at Geozentrum Hannover. During his PhD at TU Berlin an GFZ he developed methods for an improved characterization of fault zones in the Basin-and-Range Province, USA, by the analysis of volcanic gas emissions. This work formed the basis for further research projects in New Zealand, Ethiopia, Mexico, and Iceland, being scientifically coordinated by Egbert. The goal of Egbert’s GFZ Discovery Fellowship project is the development of novel approaches for a systematic detection of magmatic volatiles like CO2 and their integration into observatory systems.