Strategy

Vision

The Department of Geoscience performs research in both curiosity-driven fundamental and applied geosciences at the highest international level and for the benefit of society. We are committed to providing our students with a top-level, research-based geoscience education, acknowledging the vital role of geosciences in relation to challenges such as climate change, the water cycle, the green transition, and geohazards.

Mission

The Department of Geoscience is committed to basic and applied research, innovation, and researchbased teaching at the highest international level with a clear view to addressing the needs of society. Our research primarily centres on the study of Earth's formation and processes, climate and ocean changes, water, environmental impacts, and the evolution of our living planet over time. International collaborations and commitments are fundamental to our work. We also embrace interdisciplinary endeavours, integrating geoscience with other fields to enhance our understanding of the Earth system, and address societal needs.

We collaborate with leading national and international researchers and research groups as well as emerging academic environments, private companies, and public organizations. We support and encourage research-based innovation and development of start-up companies. We believe that diversity enhances both the opportunities for individual researchers and the academic perspectives of the department. Therefore, we are committed to recruiting, retaining, and supporting a diverse group of top-level researchers. Through various initiatives and daily practices, we aim to maintain a safe and inspiring working environment, fostering a culture that supports equity and inclusion at all stages of employment.

Recruitment and Gender Strategy

The Department of Geoscience is committed to recruiting and retaining the highest quality researchers and staff to work in a culture that supports diversity and equality at all stages of employment, from recruitment to retirement. Diversity can be understood, for example, in terms of gender, nationality and age distribution. The benefits of a diverse workplace include increased adaptability, creativity and productivity, more skills (e.g. language and technical) and experiences, and more effective communication. The selection and appointment of new staff is a critical stage in determining the Department’s quality and composition, particularly when considering gender balance.

Our recruitment strategy has three stages:

Identifying the need for a new employee and writing a suitable job description that communicates the necessary skills, using non-discriminatory, gender-neutral language;
Advertising the position internationally and sourcing potential candidates in venues that ensure a diverse applicant pool;
Reviewing applications and taking steps to remove unconscious bias, such as including both men and women in the selection process and on the candidate shortlist.

In commitment to our gender balanced recruitment strategy The Head of Department and the steering committee assume responsibility for gender equality of the Department:

We will review our recruitment process continuously to eliminate bias in the hiring process;
We will remove obstacles that prevent students wanting to pursue careers in research from doing so – for example, the causes for the so-called ‘leaky pipeline’;
We will provide mentoring and coaching to graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and junior professors contemplating academic or industry careers in the geosciences.

Revised 13.11.2025