16.04.2010 | Potsdam: With Ms. Katja Fregien, the one thousandth employee will be hired at the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences on 15 April this year. Ms. Fregien will be working as a Ph.D. student in climate research at the GFZ and will be dealing with annual tree rings for the investigation of the climatic dynamics.

Professor Reinhard Huettl, Scientific Executive Director and Chairman of the Board explains: “We are, of course, most pleased with this development in the employment figures at the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences. It points to the high scientific acceptance of the work carried out here. Precisely, the thematic field ‘Climate dynamics and Landscape development’ has, in the last years, considerably expanded its research spectrum. With Ms. Fregien we are gaining a further young female scientist in this important research area.”

Ms Fregien is already known within the Potsdam Helmholtz Centre, as she completed a splendid practical course at the GFZ. Professor Huettl, Dr. Bettina Hoerstrup, Head of the GFZ Personnel and Social Services Department and Leader of the Section Dr. Achim Brauer presented her with a welcoming bouquet of flowers on her first day at work.

The Helmholtz Centre Potsdam, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences was founded at the beginning of the year 1992 with approximately 280 employees and has been growing continuously since then. Not only the number of scientists has risen but also personnel employed in infrastructure have grown considerably. At present one thousand employees are working at the GFZ, with scientists and Ph.D. students representing over 50% among which 143 are foreign scientists from 50 countries. And not to forget: the GFZ is also a training enterprise, 42 apprentices are currently being trained here.