Institute members
Prof. Dr. Walter Kurz
Walter Kurz deals with plate tectonic processes in the continents and oceans. Our research here in Graz investigates, for example, how old continental crust was incorporated into the construction of the Alps, or how the oceanic lithosphere changes in the area of intraoceanic subduction zones. For research into the oceans, we mainly use drill cores obtained by deep-sea drilling during expeditions as part of the International Ocean Discovery Program.
A current project is concerned with the transformation of the mantle of the Philippine Plate in the area of the Mariana Trench.
Assistant Professor Dr. Maud Meijers
Maud Meijers is an Assistant Professor of Sedimentary Geology. Her work is focused on reconstructing Earth surface processes on geological time scales and their interactions with tectonics and regional biodiversity.
Assistant Professor Dr. Gerald Auer
Gerald Auer and his team conduct research in the fields of paleoclimatology and paleoceanography, where they use microscopic fossils and geochemical analyses to better understand the effects of past climate changes on marine ecosystems. Using the methods of (micro)paleontology and stratigraphy, they create new insights into the rate and effects of climate-driven environmental changes and their interactions. Their research is based on data and samples from deep-sea drilling by the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP). In Austria, they also conduct research on the preserved marine sediments of the Pannonian Basin system and the Northern Limestone Alps.
Current projects of his research group deal with the effects of climate change and ocean glaciation on the nutrient content and species richness in the world's oceans, as well as the understanding of the interactions between climate and tectonic changes in the configuration of land masses and ocean basins.
Associate Professor Dr. Bernhard Hubmann
Bernhard Hubmann works on shallow marine ecosystems of the Paleozoic. His special focus is on research into the palaeobiology (ecology, biogeography) of Devonian corals and calcareous green algae.
Additional fields of activity concern the scientific history of geology in Austria and the geoscientific education and training of teachers.