Function and Responsibilities:

Research Interests:

• Fracture Mechanics and Rock Physics
• Geothermal Energy and Geologic Repositories
  
• Stress Field of the Earth’s Crust and Underground Experiments
  
• Scaling Problems in Earth’s Sciences

Career:

• 2016 - Professor of Geophysics and Rock Mechanics at Potsdam University, Institute of Geosciences
  
• 2010 - GFZ, Section "Seismic Hazard and Risk Dynamics", responsible for fracture mechanical applications in stressed rock mass, geothermal and geologic reservoirs. In-situ experiments at underground research laboratories
  
• 1993-2010 German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), Section "Geomechanics and Rheology", responsible for Rock Physics laboratory, uniaxial and tri-axial core testing with acoustic emission and deformation monitoring
  
• 1992-1993 Postdoctoral Research Associate, Rock Mechanics, State University of New York, Stony Brook, USA responsible for investigating the effect of cementing agents on elastic and transport properties of diagenetically consolidated sandstones
  
• 1987-1992 Geophysicist, Goethe-University Frankfurt/Main, German Continental Deep Drilling Program (KTB), responsible for stress measurement from ultra-deep drill cores
  

PhD students

2023 Alireza Kalantar, MSc Polytechnico Torino (Italy), Impact of geology on successful hydraulic stimulation treatment.

2020 Gergö Hutka. MSc Etvös University (Hungary), Numerical investigation of induced seismicity in geothermal reservoirs and recommendation for risk mitigation. https://doi.org/10.1017/njg.2023.7

2017 Peter Niemz, Dipl.-Geophys., Imaging and modeling of hydraulic fractures in crystalline rock via induced seismic activity. https://doi.org/10.25932/publishup-55659 PhD defended 2022-06-09

2015 Marton Pal Farkas, MSc, Hydraulic fracturing in hard rock: numerical studies from laboratory to reservoir scale. https://doi.org/10.25932/publishup-54934 PhD defended 2022-05-02

2014 Moritz Ziegler, MSc, The 3D in situ stress field and its changes in geothermal reservoirs. https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL073598 PhD defended 2017-10-10

2013 Julia Wolf, Dipl.-Geophys., Detection of crack propagation in concrete with embedded ultrasonic sensors. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engfracmech.2015.07.058 PhD defended 2017-03-31

Scholarship students

2022 – 2025 Dr Shuting MIAO (Alexander von Humboldt postdoc scholarship), Fluid infiltration and fracture process zone of granites for geothermal purposes. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-024-03780-2

2021 – 2022 Yongfa ZHANG (CSC PhD), Propagation and intersection mechanism of hydraulic fracture driven by nonuniform fluid pressure. doi.org/10.1007/s00603-023-03586-8

2021 – 2022 Haimeng SHEN (CSC PhD), Injection-induced seismicity in development of unconventional reservoirs.

2019 – 2020 Dr. Zhandong SU (CSC postdoc), Stress reorientation by earthquakes near the Ganzi-Yushu strike-slip fault and interpretation with discrete element modelling. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-021-02443-w

2015 – 2016 Xingping HU (CSC PhD), Crustal stress pattern in China and its adjacent areas. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jseaes.2017.07.005

Education:

• 1998 Habilitation Geophysics, Dr. rer. nat. habil., Potsdam University
• 1991 Dissertation Geophysics, Dr. phil. nat., J.W.Goethe-University Frankfurt/Main
• 1987 Diploma Geophysics, Dipl.-Geophys., J.W.Goethe-University Frankfurt/Main

Projects:

• 2024-2027, SMART-EGS, bmbf Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, 1 PostDoc
• 2020-2022, KEM15, Risk of Seismicity due to Cooling Effects in Geothermal Systems, Ministrie van ekonomische Zachen en Klimaat NL, 1 PhD
• 2017-2020, SECURE, Bmbf Verbundprojekt Nachhaltige und umweltfreundliche Verwendung und Erhaltung von Untergrund Reservoiren, 1 PhD
  
• 2017-2020, DESTRESS Demonstartion of soft stimulation treatments of geothermal reservoirs. EU project Horizon 2020, 1 PostDoc, 1 PhD
  
• 2014-2016, The Geothermic Fatigue Hydraulic Fracturing Experiment at Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory Sweden, funded by GFZ, KIT and Nova FoU
  
• 2014-2017, SSM 2014-3668 Swedish Radiation Saftey Authority, 3D Thermo-mechanical modeling of seismicity related to the final disposal of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste in hard rock, 1 Postdoc
  
• 2014-2017, IMAGE European Union ENERGY.2013.2.4.1, Integrated Methods for Advanced Geothermal Exploration, 1 PhD
  
• 2012-2014, BMU 032 5451C, Exploitation of petrothermal reservoirs (together with Prof. G. Zimmermann, GFZ Section 4.8), 1 Postdoc
  
• 2010-2013, GEISER European Union (FP7-Energy-2009-1), Geothermal Engineering Integrating Mitigation of Induced Seismicity in Reservoirs, Work package leader WP3: Analysis of induced seismicity in geothermal reservoirs, 1 Postdoc

Research Boards and Committees:

Awards:

• 2014 Most cited and published author in Geothermics (https://exaly.com/)
  
• 2012 Most cited paper in Rock Mechanics Rock Engineering (https://exaly.com/)
• 2012 Visiting Associate Professor at Kumamoto University, Japan
• 1993 German Geophysical Society (DGG), 1. Price presentation Leipzig
• 1992 Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), postdoctoral scholarship, Stony Brook, New York, USA
• 1987 Herrmann-Willkomm-Stiftung, Scholarship CIRES, University of Colorado, Boulder, USA