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.
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.
The Department of Geoscience (DG) was founded in 1962 and is one of two geoscience university institutions in Denmark. The educations comprise a BSc program in Geoscience and MSc programs in Geology, Geophysics, and Technical Geology. The broad BSc education comprises all relevant geoscience disciplines. The MSc programs in Geology, Geophysics and Technical Geology provide top-level educations in a broad spectrum of disciplines ranging from basic to applied studies and spanning most Earth surface and deep Earth environments relevant for understanding the Earth system and its relevance to modern human societies. The MSc geophysics accreditation is unique and instrumental in defining the renowned brand of Aarhus geoscience masters with highly coveted quantitative competences. The BSc enrolment now at c. 50/year has been dimensioned to 45/year by 2020. It is our strategy to increase the number of BSc applications and sort students based on qualifications. Geophysics is not dimensioned and it is our strategy to increase the volume of this MSc program by national and international recruitment with the potential scope of gaining momentum to open a bi-lingual (English & Danish) BSc-entry in Geophysics by 2020. The geophysics masters are required to sustain growth in the sectors of society (water, environment, energy, construction) relying on subsurface imaging for resource development and management. DG will implement educational pathways and student mentoring. Each path comes with a geology, geophysics and geochemistry flavour. Research performance (volume, impact and excellence) is in strong growth and we will continue this trend and aim to reach a global ranking of c. 50 by 2020 (NTU). The research focus is within five areas characterized by high growth, large impact and/or high societal significance: Climate & Environment; Water; Energy & Natural Resources; Deep Earth Systems; Geochronology. It is the strategy to win centres of excellence within these areas by gathering forces internally, strengthening groups with positions where required, and by further developing external co-operations. The world-class metal-free geochemical analytical facility will create new momentum for all research areas and the educations, as well as enhance interdisciplinary research and teaching as witnessed by the emerging co-operations with Archaeology and Health and Medical Science. Excellent research is strongly coupled to talent development, and DG will actively attract talent and expand its support and mentoring of PhD students, postdocs, and junior staff. This is articulated in the general recruitment and gender policy of the Department.
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:
In commitment to our gender balanced recruitment strategy The Head of Department and the steering committee assume responsibility for gender equality of the Department:
