What are we researching?
At the Department of Geosciences, we conduct research on a variety of geoscientific topics. The strategic focus areas for our research are energy transition and resources, climate and polar research, geohazards and the environment.
The research groups at the institute
The research activity at the department is organized into four groups. You can find more information about the different groups' research work on their respective websites:
Geosciences and sustainability
Geologists and geophysicists hold key expertise to solve tomorrow's challenges, as described in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (external link) and the UN Paris Agreement (external link). The UN has given the University of Bergen (UiB) a leading role in promoting the Sustainable Development Goals (external link), and the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences offers several courses that directly address specific Sustainable Development Goals.
PhD and research education
Reserach Infrastructure
GEO hosts the following centers:
- iEarth
- Centre for Deep sea Reserach (2021->)
- Centre for Mountains in Transition (2026->)
GEO is part of these centres
- Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research (external link) (UiB /earlier SFF (external link))
- SapienCE (SFF (external link)/UiB)
- DigiWells – Digitalize, Drill, Geosteer (external link) (SFI (external link)/NORCE)
- Norsk senter for Geothermal Energi (external link)(NORCE)
- VISTA Centre for Modelling of Coupled Subsurface Dynamics (UiB)
GEO is a partner in two of UiB's focus areas
Prestige projects
Overview of selected projects at the Department of Geosciences;
Trond Mohn Research Foundation (TMF) Starting Grant
The Trond Mohn Research Foundation (TMF) Starting Grant program aims to assist the University of Bergen (UiB) in recruiting young, outstanding international or national researchers with great research potential. The program is announced once a year and is open to researchers under the age of 40 from all research disciplines. The program provides the selected candidates with support for research and career-enhancing activities. The department can nominate one candidate each year.
The research background of the invited candidate must be within an area that is prioritized in the university and department's strategies and where the department anticipates recruitment needs over the next four to five years. TMF Starting Grants are normally awarded to 3-4 candidates at UiB each year.
ERC Fellow at the Department of Geosciences
Several researchers at GEO have been awarded prestigious grants for their projects from the European Research Council in the form of ERC grants.
The main objective of the European Research Council (ERC) is to promote high-quality research in Europe by investing in the best researchers and the best ideas. ERC grants are awarded to researchers working in Europe, based on their ideas and scientific excellence in any field. Because the research areas are not determined by politicians, this means that funding is more widely distributed to new and promising research projects with a high degree of flexibility.
ERC Grants
The European Research Council (ERC) offers grants to outstanding researchers in four categories. A fifth category, ERC Synergy Grants, has been announced in some years in FP7 and returned in 2018.
Starting Grants, Consolidator Grants and Advanced Grants are the most central, while the Proof of Concept category is announced as an additional grant for researchers who have received ERC grants previously.
An ERC grant is one of the most prestigious awards a researcher can receive.
Prestigious awards awarded:
Trond Mohn Research Foundation (TMF) Scholarship
Sebastian Wolf has been awarded a TMF scholarship (2025-2030). Read more here (external link).
Leonardo Muniz Pichel has been awarded a TMF scholarship (2025-2030). Read more here.
Willem van der Bilt has been awarded a TMS scholarship (2020-2025). Read more here.
Steffen Leth Jørgensen was awarded a BFS scholarship (2016-2021). Read more here.
Andreas Born was awarded a BFS scholarship (2016-2021). Read more here (external link).
Nele Meckler was awarded a BFS scholarship (2015-2020). Read more here.
Bjarte Hannisdal has been awarded a BFS scholarship (2013-2018). Read more here.
Nicola McLoughlin was awarded a BFS scholarship (2010-2015). Read more here (external link).
European Research Council (ERC)
Nele Meckler has been awarded an ERC Consolidary Grant from the EU (2020-2025). Read more here.
Nele Meckler was awarded an ERC Starting Grant from the EU (2015-2020). Read more here.
Eystein Jansen and Kerim Hestnes Nisancioglu were awarded an ERC Synergy Grant (2014-2019). Read more here.
EU MSCA Doctoral Network
Christian Haug Eide is a partner in the S2S Future project (2020-2023).
Kerim Hestnes Nisancioglu is a partner in the DEEPICE project (2021-2024). Read more here (external link).
Ritske Huismans is a partner in Initiate (2024-2028). Les mer her (external link).
Desiree Roerdink is a partner in FluxBeats (2024-2028). Les mer her (external link).