Research interests:

• Geodynamics of rifted passive margins
• Orogen dynamics
• Coupling tectonics, surface processes, and climate
• Links between tectonics, magmatism, and fluid flow
• 2D / 3D forward modelling and computational fluid dynamics
• Finite element code development

Major Research Collaborations

• Prof. Jan Inge Faleide (University of Oslo)
• Prof. Sverre Planke (University of Oslo)
• Prof. Dave May (Oxford University)
• Prof. Magdalena Scheck Wenderoth (GFZ Potsdam)
• Prof. Christian Tegner (Aarhus University)
• Prof. Robert Gawthorpe (University of Bergen)
• Prof. Jean Braun (GFZ Potsdam)
• Prof. Bodo Bookhagen (Potsdam University)
• Dr Hui Tang (GFZ Potsdam)
• Dr Delphine Rouby (Université Toulouse)
• Prof. Josep Anton Munoz (Universidad de Barcelona)

Selected publications

• Erdős, Z., Huismans, R.S., Wolf, S., Facenna, C., Terrane accretion explains thin and hot ocean-continent back-arcs. Science Advances 11, eadq8444(2025). DOI:10.1126/sciadv.adq8444
• Pichel, L. M., Huismans, R. S., Gawthorpe, R., & Faleide, J. (2024). Post-salt carbonates control salt-tectonic minibasin formation, Geology. 52, https://doi.org/10.1130/G51717.1
• Berndt, C., Planke, S., Alvarez Zarikian, C.A.  Frieling, J., Jones, MT., Millett, JM., Brinkhuis, H., Bünz, S., Svensen, HH., Longman, J., Scherer, RP., Karstens, J., Manton, B., Nelissen, M., Reed, B., Faleide, JI., Huismans, RS., Agarwal, A., Andrews, GDM., Betlem, P., Bhattacharya, J., Chatterjee, S., Christopoulou, M, Clementi, VJ., Ferré, EC., Filina, IY., Guo, P., Harper, DT., Lambart, S., Mohn, G., Nakaoka, R., Tegner, C., Varela, N, Wang, M, Xu, W., Yager, SL.. Shallow-water hydrothermal venting linked to the Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum. Nature Geoscience. (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-023-01246-8
• Pichel, L. M., Huismans, R. S., Gawthorpe, R., Faleide, J. I., & Theunissen, T. (2022).  Late-syn- to post-rift salt tectonics on wide rifted margins—Insights from geodynamic modeling. Tectonics, 41, e2021TC007158. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021TC007158
• Theunissen, T., Huismans, R.S., Lu. G., Riel, N., Relative continent/mid-ocean ridge elevation: A reference case for isostasy in geodynamics, Earth-Science Reviews, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2022.104153
• Wolf, S.G., Huismans, R.S., Braun, J. et al. Topography of mountain belts controlled by rheology and surface processes. Nature 606, 516–521 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-04700-6
• Theunissen, T., Huismans, R.S. Mantle exhumation at magma-poor rifted margins controlled by frictional shear zones. Nature Communications, 13, 1634 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-29058-1
• Vivi K. Pedersen, Åsne Rosseland Knutsen, Gustav Pallisgaard-Olesen, Jane Lund Andersen, Robert Moucha, Ritske S. Huismans; Widespread glacial erosion on the Scandinavian passive margin. Geology 2021; 49 (8): 1004–1008. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G48836.1
• Lu, G., Huismans, R.S., Melt volume at Atlantic volcanic rifted margins controlled by depth-dependent extension and mantle temperature, Nature communications, 2021.
• Magdalena Ellis Curry, Peter van der Beek, Ritske S. Huismans, Sebastian G. Wolf, Charlotte Fillon, Josep-Anton Muñoz; Spatio-temporal patterns of Pyrenean exhumation revealed by inverse thermo-kinematic modeling of a large thermochronologic data set. Geology 2021; 49 (6): 738–742. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G48687.1
• G Duclaux, RS Huismans, DA May, Rotation, narrowing, and preferential reactivation of brittle structures during oblique rifting, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 2020.
• Berndt, C., Planke, S., Teagle, D., Huismans, R., Torsvik, T., Frieling, J., Jones, M. T., Jerram, D. A., Tegner, C., Faleide, J. I., Coxall, H., and Hong, W.-L.: Northeast Atlantic breakup volcanism and consequences for Paleogene climate change – MagellanPlus Workshop report, Sci. Dril., 26, 69–85, https://doi.org/10.5194/sd-26-69-2019, 2019.
• Grool, AR,  Huismans, RS,  Ford, M.  Salt décollement and rift inheritance controls on crustal deformation in orogens. Terra Nova.  2019; 31: 562– 568. https://doi.org/10.1111/ter.12428
• ME Curry, P van der Beek, RS Huismans, SG Wolf, Munoz, JA,  Evolving paleotopography and lithospheric flexure of the Pyrenean Orogen from 3D flexural modeling and basin analysis, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 2019
• Pedersen, V.K., Braun, J., Huismans, R.S., Eocene to mid-Pliocene landscape evolution in Scandinavia inferred from offshore sediment volumes and pre-glacial topography using inverse modeling, Geomorphology 303, 467-485
• Cowie, P.A., Phillips, R.J., Roberts, G.P., McCaffrey, K, Zijerveld, L.J.J, Gregory, L.C., Faure Walker, J., Wedmore, L.N.J, Dunai, T.J., Binnie, S.A., Freeman, S.P.H.T., Wilcken, K., Shanks, R.P., Huismans, R.S., Papanikolaou, I., Michetti, A.M., Wilkinson, M., Orogen-scale uplift in the central Italian Apennines drives episodic behaviour of earthquake faults. Nature Sci. Rep. 7, 44858; doi: 10.1038/srep44858 (2017).
• Pedersen, V.,K., Huismans, R.S., Moucha, R.., 2016: Isostatic and dynamic support of high topography on a North Atlantic passive margin, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 446, 1-9.
• Huismans, R.S. Beaumont, 2014: Contrasting Characteristics of Rifted Continental Margins Explained by Depth-Dependent Lithospheric Extension: Effects of Detachment and Strong and Weak Lower Crust, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 407, 148-162.
• Jammes, S. Huismans, R.S., Munoz, J.A., Lateral variation in structural style of mountain building: controls of rheological and rift inheritance, Terra Nova, 2013.
• Fillon, C., Huismans, R.S., and van der Beek, P., Wedge-top sedimentation effects on the growth of fold-and-thrust belts, Geology 2013.
• Steer, P., Huismans, R.S., Valla, P.G., Gac, S., and Herman, F., 2012: Bimodal Plio–Quaternary glacial erosion of fjords and low-relief surfaces in Scandinavia, Nature Geoscience, DOI: 10.1038/NGEO1549.
• Huismans, R.S. Beaumont, 2011: Depth-dependent extension, two-stage breakup and cratonic underplating at rifted margins, Nature, 473, 2011. doi:10.1038/nature09988.

Post docs and researchers (former in italic)

• Abigail Plimmer
• Thomas Theunissen
• Gang Lu (now at Zhejiang Hong Ocean Uni)
• Sebastian Wolf
• Leonardo Muniz Pichel
• Anneleen Geurts
• Nicolas Riel (now at Uni Mainz)
• Lorenz Wolf
• Benjamin Gerard (now at Helsinki Uni)
• Vivi Pedersen (now at Aarhus Uni)
• Zoltan Erdos (now at GFZ-Potsdam)
• Maggie Currie (now at Uni Houston)
• Guillaume Duclaux (now at Uni Cote d'Azur)
• Romain Beucher (now at ANU)
• Hongliang Wang (now at Inst. Energy&Technology Oslo)
• Philippe Steer (now at Rennes Uni)
• Cecric Thieulot (now at Utrecht Uni)
• Suzon Jammes (now at Austin Uni)
• Sebastian Gac
• Christina Morency (Lawrence Livermore Lab)

PhD students (former in italic)

• Ingra Malucelli Barbosa
• Francina Saiz
• Alessandro Gibellini
• Manel Ramos
• Christophere Di Paolo (co-supervisor)
• Kenneth Mangersness  (co-supervisor)
• Wenchao Cheng  (co-supervisor)
• Zsuzsanna Vatai  (co-supervisor)
• Tom Garrot  (co-supervisor)
• William Munday (co-supervisor)
• Nida Patla (co-supervisor)
• Kartik Sakkerwal (co-supervisor)
• Marco Moreno Sanchez (co-supervisor)
• John Kent Remolador (co-supervisor)
• Nimisha Anna Georg (co-supervisor)
• Sebastian Wolf
• Claudio Salazar Mora (co-supervisor)(now at Sao Paolo Uni)
• Arjan Grool (co-supervisor)
• Zoltan Erdos
• Charlotte Fillon (co-supervisor)(now at Total AS)
• Vaneeda Allken
• Mohammed Gouiza (co-supervisor) 

GEOV254: Geodynamics and basin modelling

GEOV251: Advanced structural geology

GEOV350: Geodynamics and plate tectonic processes

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ckX9nysAAAAJ&hl=en 

Publications 2025:

Wolf, S., Huismans, R.S., Munoz, J.A., May, D., Rift linkage and inheritance determine collisional mountain belt evolution, Nature Communications, in press

Pichel, L. M.,  Huismans, R. S.,  Gawthorpe, R. L., &  Theunissen, T. (2025).  Controls on the geometry and evolution of salt tectonic structures along salt-bearing passive margins. Tectonics,  44, e2024TC008750. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024TC008750

Aarseth, I., Minakov, A., Shulgin, A., Hauge, B.E., Breivik, A., Faleide, J.I., Flue, E., Huismans, R.S., The Storfjorden earthquake sequence: role of inherited crustal heterogeneity, (2025), Geophysical Journal International, 243, https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggaf386

Publications 2024:

Pichel, L. M., Huismans, R. S., Gawthorpe, R., & Faleide, J. (2024). Post-salt carbonates control salt-tectonic minibasin formation, Geology. 52, https://doi.org/10.1130/G51717.1

Theunissen, T.,  Huismans, R. S.,  Rouby, D., &  Gout, C. (2024).  2-D geodynamic modeling of the Central South Atlantic wide rifted margins, implications for evaporite deposition. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth,  129, e2023JB027985. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JB027985

Zoltán Erdős, Ritske Huismans, Sebastian Wolf, Claudio Facenna, Terrane accretion explains thin and hot ocean-continent back-arcs. Science Advances 11, eadq8444(2025). DOI:10.1126/sciadv.adq8444

Publications 2023:

Pichel, L. M., Huismans, R. S., Gawthorpe, R., & Faleide, J. (2023). How post-salt sediment flux and progradation rate influence salt tectonics on rifted margins: Insights from geodynamic modelling. Basin Research, 00, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1111/bre.12802 

Gérard, B., Rouby, D., Huismans, R.S., Robin, C., Fillon, C., & Braun, J. (2023). Impact of inherited foreland relief on retro-foreland basin architecture. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 128, e2022JB024967. https://doi. org/10.1029/2022JB024967 

Berndt, C., Planke, S., Alvarez Zarikian, C.A.  Frieling, J., Jones, MT., Millett, JM., Brinkhuis, H., Bünz, S., Svensen, HH., Longman, J., Scherer, RP., Karstens, J., Manton, B., Nelissen, M., Reed, B., Faleide, JI., Huismans, RS., Agarwal, A., Andrews, GDM., Betlem, P., Bhattacharya, J., Chatterjee, S., Christopoulou, M, Clementi, VJ., Ferré, EC., Filina, IY., Guo, P., Harper, DT., Lambart, S., Mohn, G., Nakaoka, R., Tegner, C., Varela, N, Wang, M, Xu, W., Yager, SL.. Shallow-water hydrothermal venting linked to the Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum. Nature Geoscience. (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-023-01246-8

Lu, G., May, D.A. & Huismans, R.S. 2023. A three-field formulation for two-phase flow in geodynamic modeling: Toward the zero-porosity limit. J. Geophys. Res., 128. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JB027469.

Publications 2022:

Wolf, S., Huismans, R.S., Braun, J., Yuang, X., Topography of mountain belts controlled by rheology and surface processes, Nature 606, 516–521 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-04700-6.

Theunissen, T., Huismans, R.S., Lu. G., Riel, N., Relative continent/mid-ocean ridge elevation: A reference case for isostasy in geodynamics, Earth-Science Reviews, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2022.104153

Pichel, L. M., Huismans, R. S., Gawthorpe, R., Faleide, J. I., & Theunissen, T. (2022).  Late-syn- to post-rift salt tectonics on wide rifted margins—Insights from geodynamic modeling. Tectonics, 41, e2021TC007158. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021TC00715

Erdős, Z., Huismans, R. S., & Faccenna, C. (2022). Wide versus narrow back-arc rifting: Control of subduction velocity and convective back-arc thinning. Tectonics, 41, e2021TC007086. https:// doi.org/10.1029/2021TC007086. 

Theunissen, T., Huismans, R.S. Mantle exhumation at magma-poor rifted margins controlled by frictional shear zones. Nat Commun 13, 1634 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-29058-1

Lu, G., & Huismans, R. S. (2022). Magmatism at passive margins: Effects of depth-dependent wide rifting and lithospheric counterflow. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 127, e2021JB023046. https://doi. org/10.1029/2021JB023046 

Wolf, L., Huismans, R. S., Rouby, D., Gawthorpe, R. L., & Wolf, S. G. (2022). Links between faulting, topography, and sediment production during continental rifting: Insights from coupled surface process, thermomechanical modeling. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 127, e2021JB023490. https://doi. org/10.1029/2021JB023490 

Publications 2021:

Zoltan Erdos, Ritske S. Huismans, Claudio Faccenna, Sebastian G. Wolf, The Role of Subduction Interface and Upper Plate Strength on Back-Arc Extension: Application to Mediterranean Back-Arc Basins, Tectonics, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1029/2021TC006795. 

Pedersen, Vivi K., Rosseland Knutsen, Åsne, Pallisgaard-Olesen, Gustav, Andersen, Jane Lund, Moucha, Robert, Huismans, Ritske S.; Widespread glacial erosion on the Scandinavian passive margin. Geology, 2021; 49 (8): 1004–1008. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G48836.1

Lu, G., Huismans, Ritske S., Melt volume at Atlantic volcanic rifted margins controlled by depth-dependent extension and mantle temperature, Nature communications, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-23981-5

Magdalena Ellis Curry, Peter van der Beek, Ritske S. Huismans, Sebastian G. Wolf, Charlotte Fillon, Josep Anton Munoz,  Spatio-temporal patterns of Pyrenean exhumation revealed by inverse thermo-kinematic modeling of a large thermochronologic data set, Geology, 2021 DOI:10.1130/G48687.1. 

Sebastian G. Wolf, Ritske S. Huismans, Josep Anton Munoz, Magdalena Ellis Curry, Peter van der Beek, Growth of collisional orogens from small and cold to large and hot ‐ inferences from geodynamic models, J. Geophysical Research, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JB021168

Selected publications 2011-2020

G Duclaux, RS Huismans, DA May, Rotation, narrowing, and preferential reactivation of brittle structures during oblique rifting, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 2020. 

Berndt, Christian, Planke, Sverre, Teagle, Damon, Huismans, Ritske, Torsvik, Trond, Frieling, Joost, Jones, Morgan T., Jerram, Dougal A., Tegner, Christian, Faleide, Jan Inge, Coxall, Helen and Hong, Wei-Li (2019) Northeast Atlantic breakup volcanism and consequences for Paleogene climate change - MagellanPlus Workshop report Scientific Drilling, 26 . pp. 69-85. DOI 10.5194/sd-26-69-2019.

Cowie, P.A., Phillips, R.J., Roberts, G.P., McCaffrey, K, Zijerveld, L.J.J, Gregory, L.C., Faure Walker, J., Wedmore, L.N.J, Dunai, T.J., Binnie, S.A., Freeman, S.P.H.T., Wilcken, K., Shanks, R.P., Huismans, R.S., Papanikolaou, I., Michetti, A.M., Wilkinson, M., Orogen-scale uplift in the central Italian Apennines drives episodic behaviour of earthquake faults. Nature Sci. Rep. 7, 44858; doi: 10.1038/srep44858 (2017).

Pedersen, V.K., Huismans, R.S., Moucha, R., Isostatic and dynamic support of high topography on a North Atlantic passive margin, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 446, 1-9, 2016.

Fillon, C., Huismans, R.S., and van der Beek, P., Wedge-top sedimentation effects on the growth of fold-and-thrust belts, Geology 2013.

Steer, P., Huismans, R.S., Valla, P.G., Gac, S., and Herman, F., Bimodal Plio–Quaternary glacial erosion of fjords and low-relief surfaces in Scandinavia, Nature Geoscience, DOI: 10.1038/NGEO1549 2014

Huismans, R.S. Beaumont, Depth-dependent extension, two-stage breakup and cratonic underplating at rifted margins, Nature, 473, 2011. doi:10.1038/nature09988.

Main recent funded and initiated projects:

• Euro 3,800,000, EU-MSCA doctoral network, Coordinator, INITIATE-CLIMATE-TECTONICS INTERACTIONS USING BIG DATA-INFORMED MODELS, 13 PhD's
• 5 million NOK, Akademia UoB-Equinor, Principal Investigator, 3D modelling of the tectonic-stratigraphic evolution of the North Sea, 1 post doc, 2025-2028
• 22 million NOK, NFR KPN, Co investigator, PALMAR- Paleogene Basin Development on the Vøring and Møre Margins, employs 1 PhD, 1 Post doc, 1 Researcher, 2023-2026.
• 150 million NOK, International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP), Main project leader, IODP drilling Mid-Norwegian Continental Margin Magmatism. Large international expedition involving researchers from Norway, France, Germany, Denmark, USA, Japan, India, China, scheduled August – September 2021.
• 4.25 million NOK, Akademia, Principal Investigator, Rift-passive margin formation along the Brazilian margin: linking Santos and Campos margin segments, employs 1 post doctoral fellow, 2020-2023.
• 4.25 million NOK, Akademia, Co-PI, High displacement normal fault evolution, employs 1 post doctoral fellow, 2020-2023.
• 80 million NOK, Total-France, Main project leader, COLORS, coupling lithosphere deformation, surface processes and stratigraphy, employs 8 post docs and PhD’s. Collaborators from GFZ Potsdam, Grenoble University, Toulouse University, Rennes University, Barcelona University. 2016 – 2021.
• 600 KNOK, SIU Collaboration in higher education, UiB – Rio de Janeiro State University. Participants, Profs Fossen, Gawthorpe (UiB), Heilbron, Trindade Brazil. 2018-2020.