At the Institute of Soil Science we strive to expand our knowledge of soil characteristics and soil function, the processes that take place in soils, and how these processes interact with other compartments of the earth and climate system. We aim to impart this new-found knowledge to students at our Institute.

The Institute is chiefly responsible for the interdisciplinary BSc and MSc degree programs in the geosciences and is also involved in the international MSc degree programs in Integrated Climate System Sciences (ICSS) and in Polar and Marine Sciences (POMOR). Our graduate and postgraduate training largely takes place in structured graduate programs.

The Institute of Soil Science is a teaching and research institute belonging to the Department of Earth System Sciences in the Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences (MIN) at Universität Hamburg. The Institute of Soil Science is involved in the Cluster of Excellence CLICCS (Climate, Climatic Change, and Society), was also involved in the finished  Cluster of Excellence "Integrated Climate System Analysis and Prediction" (CliSAP) and forms part of the KlimaCampus Hamburg. Many scientists of the Institute are member of the Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability (CEN), which is the first research center of Universität Hamburg.