Research

Friedhelm von Blanckenburg is a Geochemist who characterises Earth surface cycles by means of isotope ratio measurements of the elements involved. He obtained a degree in Geology at the Technical University of Berlin, a doctorate at ETH Zürich, and held various research and teaching positions at the Universities of Cambridge, Oxford, and Berne. In 2001 he took up a full professorship in the field of Geochemistry at the University of Hannover and in 2008 a full professorship as head of the “Earth Surface Geochemistry” group at the Helmholtz Centre GFZ Potsdam.

His research is dedicated to the development of methods in inorganic isotope Geochemistry and mass spectrometry and their application to the evolution of the Earth’s surface. By detecting very low concentrations of cosmogenic nuclides in materials of the Earth surface and measuring shifts in the relative abundancies of metal stable isotopes he is exploring the fundamental processes, by which geologic, climatic, and biologic forces act to sculp landscapes through geochemical cycles. In addition, a small part of his research is directed at transfering these new methods into the Life Sciences.

Career

• seit 2023 Professor für die Geochemie der Erdoberfläche, Freie Universität (FU) Berlin
• 2008-2023 Professor für die Geochemie von Erdoberflächenprozessen, FU Berlin und Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam (GFZ)
• 2001-2008 Professor für Geochemie, Universität Hannover
• 1997-2001 Privatdozent für Isotopengeologie, Universität Bern, Bern, Schweiz
• 1995-1997 Oberassistent für Isotopengeochemie, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
• 1991-1995 Postdoc in Isotopengeochemie, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
• 1990 Promotion in Geochemie / Geochronologie, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zürich, Zürich, Schweiz
• 1985 Diplom, Geologie, Technische Universität (TU) Berlin

Projects

• seit 2023 Advanced Grant „DEVENDRA – Deciphering the Effect of Vegetation and Erosion on basalt and carbonate weathering by Novel Denudation Rate Approaches“, Europäischer Forschungsrat (ERC)
• seit 2015 Antragsteller, Teilprojekt „DeepEarthshape – Reaktionsfronten in tiefem Regolith und deren Bildungsmechanismen“, Schwerpunktprogramm (SPP) 1803, DFG
• 2015-2019 Ko-Koordinator, SPP 1803 „EarthShape: Earth Surface Shaping by Biota“, DFG
• 2013-2019 Antragsteller, Teilprojekt „Isotopengeochemische Bestimmung von Verwitterungs-Phosphorquellen und Phosphorflüssen in Waldökosystemen“, SPP 1685, DFG
• 2007-2016 Antragsteller, Teilprojekt „Multi-proxy records of seawater chemistry and environmental change from Precambrian-Cambrian carbonate-phosphorite and chert-phosphorite assemblages: Implications for enhanced bioproductivity and phosphorgenesis“, Forschungsgruppe (FOR) 736, DFG
• Koordinator, European Union Marie Curie Initial Training Network „IsoNose“: „Isotopic Tools as Novel Sensors of Earth Surface Resources“, 7. Forschungsrahmenprogramm (FRP), Europäische Kommission

Honours and Memberhships

• seit 2020 Mitglied, Academia Europaea
• 2021-2022 Vorsitzender, Deutsche Mineralogische Gesellschaft
• 2021-2022 Vizepräsident, Dachverband der Geowissenschaften, Berlin
• seit 2018 Fellow, American Geophysical Union (AGU), USA
• seit 2016 Fellow, Geochemical Society, Alexandria, USA, sowie European Association of Geochemistry
• seit 2015 Mitglied, Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Berlin
• 2010 Ralph Alger Bagnold Medal, European Geosciences Union
• seit 2009 Mitglied, Nationale Akademie der Wissenschaften Leopoldina