Biogeosciences of the Anthropocene - a new Master’s program
 

In close cooperation with the Max Planck Institutes for Biogeochemistry and Geoanthropology the Institute for Geosciences at the Friedrich Schiller University is offering a new Master’s program, “Biogeosciences of the Anthropocene”.

In response to the most pressing global challenges of our time, the program focuses on investigating the effects of climate change, biodiversity loss, and the crossing of planetary boundaries on terrestrial ecosystems, above and below ground.

The new course focuses on the interface between the biosphere and the geosphere. It addresses students with a strong interest in understanding environmental systems in an integrated and interdisciplinary way.

A core objective is to develop active, transformative competence and intelligent solutions. The program includes intensive fieldwork at Jena’s long-term research sites. Students will gain hands-on experience by working in "open-air laboratories," and will master modern monitoring techniques, from sampling the unsaturated zone to analyzing flux dynamics between the soil, aeration zone and groundwater, in order to understand the Critical Zone under real-world conditions.

The program includes a supervised research project, in which students apply modern experimental, analytical, and data-science methods. Students can then choose from specialisations, ranging from field-based research to modelling approaches.

The program offers a flexible, interdisciplinary structure for applicants with a bachelor’s degree in geosciences, biosciences, environmental sciences, or related fields. 
Prof. Dr. Sönke Zaehle, director at the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry and honorary professor for biosphere modelling at the Friedrich Schiller Universität, is responsible for the “Global Biogeochemical Cycles and Climate Change” module.