About the Department
From Earth Sciences to Earth System Sciences
The Department of Earth System Sciences at the Faculty of Mathematics, Computer Science, and Natural Sciences has been renamed as of October 1, 2020. This renaming is part of a set of measures aimed at realigning the department.
What strategies, criteria, and measures are necessary to ensure a livable future? To what extent will climate change and increasing resource consumption limit life on Earth? These questions will be at the forefront of research and teaching in the department moving forward. Consequently, researchers and students will increasingly focus on the search for and investigation of a "Habitable Earth," which will serve as a guiding theme across all disciplines.
The renaming is a component of the department's strategic realignment. Cutting-edge research and education in the field of Earth System Sciences will continue to position climate research at the core of its profile formation while also concentrating significantly on a second research focus, namely geo-resources. In doing so, the department will contribute fundamentally to the research focus of Climate, Earth, and Environment at the University of Hamburg. "The unique feature of Earth System Sciences at the University of Hamburg is the ability to capture the Earth as a coherent system with all its interactions and to develop future scenarios. Therefore, the renaming is a logical step for the department to reflect this perspective in its name," says Prof. Dr. Annette Eschenbach (Department Head of Earth System Sciences). At the Hamburg location, in collaboration with partners, scientific perspectives will be integrated with societal systems and biological processes in the analyses. To implement the future strategy, the department plans to appoint outstanding scientists in the fields of "Biogeochemistry in the Earth System" and "Machine Learning Methods in Geophysics," for instance, to establish the new research focus on "Geo-resources."
In teaching, the department will offer research-oriented courses on the pressing societal topics mentioned above. Consequently, a new integrated bachelor's program in "Physics of the Earth, Climate, and Environment" is currently being planned, which will encompass essential content from physical Earth system sciences. At the same time, the number of teaching units will gradually be reduced from five to just one unit titled "Earth System Sciences." This new unit will integrate all degree programs within the department starting in 2022. In the master's programs, the department is intensifying its internationalization strategy. Efforts are underway to expand not only the English-taught programs "Integrated Climate System Sciences" and "Ocean and Climate Physics" but also to restructure other programs such as "Geophysics" to attract more international students.
Prior to the strategic realignment, a departmental advisory review took place in 2019, where scientists from external institutions thoroughly evaluated the department and provided guidance on development planning. This was followed by intensive discussions within the department's committees, ultimately leading to a strategy paper that was presented to the university's leadership at the beginning of the year and subsequently confirmed by the departmental council, dean's office, and university administration.
