Volker Thiel
General
Dr. rer. nat., Professor of Organic GeochemistryGeoscience Center, Georg-August University of Göttingen
Geobiology Group
Goldschmidtstr. 3
37077 Göttingen, Germany Goldschmidtstr. 3
37077 Göttingen, Germany
Phone:+49-(0)551-39-14395 (office)
-7951 (secretariat)
Fax: +49-(0)551-397918
E-Mail: vthiel@gwdg.de
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Professional career
Volker Thiel, born in 1963, received a Ph.D. in biogeochemistry from the University of Hamburg (Germany) in 1997.
For 15 years, he has been doing geobiological research, with focus on the use of organic molecules as chemical tracers (biomarkers) for biogeochemical pathways. His studies significantly contributed to identify the microbial processes associated with methane turnover in modern and ancient environments.
Much of his current work is devoted to new approaches enhancing the spatial resolution of biomarker analysis in geobiological systems. Since 2002, he is working in the Geobiology Group as a professor of Organic Geochemistry.
- Since 2002: Professor (C3) at the University of Göttingen
- 2000-2002: Habilitation fellowship, German Research Foundation: "Molecular process markers for the turnover of methane in marine environments" (University of Hamburg)
- 1998-2000: Research fellowship, German Research Foundation: "Lipid biomarkers for the major groups of Porifera and their microbial symbionts" (University of Hamburg)
- 1998: Postdoctoral fellow (University of Göttingen / University of Hamburg)
- 1997: Doctoral thesis: "Organic compounds in Porifera and biogenic carbonates: facies, chemotaxonomy and molecular fossils" (in german)
- 1993-1997: Doctoral fellow (Free University of Berlin / University of Hamburg)
- 1993: Diploma in Geology / Palaeontology, after study at the Technical University of Braunschweig and the University of Hamburg. "Investigations of biomarkers as facies indicators for limnic sedimentary environments" (in german)
Main research interests
- Lipid biomarkers as indicators for biogeochemical processes
- Molecular fossils
- Biological formation and turnover of methane
- Microbial control on mineral formation
- Imaging mass spectrometry
Lectures and courses
(all held in german)
- Biomarkers and molecular fossils (lecture, 60000; seminar, 60001)
- Geomicrobiology (lecture, 60002)
- Earth History (lecture, 60066)
- Organic Geochemistry (lecture, and 5 days lab course, 60083)
- Geological Mapping I, Hildesheimer Wald / Sackwald (12 days field course, 60119)
- An Introduction into Geosciences: System Earth II (lecture, 60153)
- Team-taught lecture series in Geosciences (lecture, 60157)
Selected publications
(see Department of Geobiology homepage for a detailed record)
Siljeström S., Lausmaa J. Sjövall P., Broman C., Thiel V., Hode T. (2010) Analysis of hopanes and steranes in single oil-bearing fluid inclusions using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). Geobiology 8, 37-44.
De Boever E., Birgel D., Thiel V., Muchez P., Peckmann J., Dimitrov L., Swennen R. (2009) The formation of giant tubular concretions triggered by anaerobic oxidation of methane as revealed by archaeal molecular fossils (Lower Eocene, Varna, Bulgaria). Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 280, 23-36.
Heim C., Sjövall P., Lausmaa J., Leefmann T., Thiel V. (2009) Spectral characterisation of eight glycerolipids and their detection in natural samples using Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry 23: 2741–2753.
Arp G., Ostertag-Henning C., Yücekent S., Reitner J., Thiel V. (2008) Methane-related microbial gypsum calcitization in stromatolites of a marine-evaporative setting (Münder Formation, Upper Jurassic, Hils Syncline, N-Germany). Sedimentology 55, 1227-1251.
Hagemann A., Wörheide G., Voigt O., Thiel V. (2008) The sterols of calcareous sponges (Calcarea, Porifera). Chemistry and Physics of Lipids 156, 26-32.
Leefmann, T., Bauermeister, J., Kronz, A., Liebetrau, V., Reitner, J., and Thiel, V. (2008) Miniaturized biosignature analysis reveals implications for the formation of cold seep carbonates at Hydrate Ridge (off Oregon, USA), Biogeosciences, 5, 731-738. Open access.
Siljeström S., Hode T., Lausmaa J., Sjövall P., Toporski J., and Thiel V. (2008) Detection of organic biomarkers in crude oils using ToF-SIMS. Organic Geochemistry 40, 135-143.
Sjövall, P., Thiel, V., Siljeström, S., Heim, C., Hode,T., Lausmaa, J. (2008) Organic Geochemical Microanalysis by Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research 32, 267-277.
Fischer C., Karius V., Thiel V. (2007) Organic matter in black slate shows oxidative degradation within only a few decades. Journal of Sedimentary Research 77, 355-365.
Thiel V., Heim C., Arp G., Hahmann U., Sjövall P., Lausmaa J (2007) Biomarkers at the microscopic range: ToF-SIMS molecular imaging of Archaea-derived lipids in a microbial mat. Geobiology 5, 413-421.
Thiel, V., Toporski J., Schumann G., Sjövall P., Lausmaa J. (2007) Analysis of archaeal core ether lipids using Time of Flight - Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS): Exploring a new prospect for the study of biomarkers in geobiology. Geobiology 5, 75-83.
Awarded "Best Paper 2008" by the Organic Geochemistry Division of the Geochemical Society
Birgel D., Thiel V., Hinrichs K.-U., Campbell K.A., Elvert M., Reitner J., Farmer J.D. Peckmann J. (2006) Lipid biomarker patterns of methane-seep microbialites from the Mesozoic convergent margin, California. Organic Geochemistry 37, 1289–1302.
Schreiber A., Wörheide G., Thiel V. (2006) The fatty acids of calcareous sponges (Calcarea, Porifera). Chemistry and Physics of Lipids 143, 29-37.
Reitner J., Peckmann J., Blumenberg M., Michaelis W., Reimer A., Thiel V. (2005) Concretionary methane-seep carbonates and associated microbial communities in Black Sea sediments. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 227, 18-30.
Hoffmann F., Larsen O., Thiel V., Rapp H.T., Pape T., Michaelis W., Reitner J. (2005) An anaerobic world in sponges. Geomicrobiology Journal 22, 1-10.
Peckmann J. & Thiel V. (2004) Carbon cycling at ancient methane-seeps. Chemical Geology 205, 443-467.
Thiel V., Blumenberg M., Pape T., Seifert R., Michaelis W. (2003) Unexpected occurrence of hopanoids at gas seeps in the Black Sea. Organic Geochemistry 34, 81-87.
Thiel V., Blumenberg M., Hefter J., Pape T., Pomponi S., Reed J., Reitner J., Wörheide G., Michaelis W. (2002) A chemical view of the most ancient metazoa - Biomarker chemotaxonomy of hexactinellid sponges. Naturwissenschaften 89, 60-66.
Thiel V., Peckmann J., Richnow H. H., Luth U., Reitner J., Michaelis W. (2001) Molecular signals for anaerobic methane oxidation in Black Sea seep carbonates and a microbial mat. Marine Chemistry 73, 97-112.
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