Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Volker Thiel
General
Dr. rer. nat., Professor of Organic GeochemistryGeoscience Center, Georg-August University of Göttingen
Geobiology Group
Goldschmidtstr. 3
37077 Göttingen, Germany
Phone:+49-(0)551-39-14395 (office) 39-7951 (secretariat)
Fax: +49-(0)551-397918
E-Mail: vthiel@gwdg.de
Professional career
Volker Thiel received a Ph.D. in Biogeochemistry from the University of Hamburg (Germany) in 1997.
For many years, he has been doing geobiological research with a focus on the use of organic molecules as chemical tracers (biomarkers) for biogeochemical pathways.
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
- ToF-SIMS 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)
Leefmann, T., Heim, C., Kryvenda, A., Siljeström, S., Sjövall, P., and Thiel, V. (2013): Biomarker imaging of single diatom cells in a microbial mat using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). Organic Geochemistry 57, 23-33.
Lindgren, J., Uvdal, P., Sjövall, P., Nilsson, D.E., Engdahl, A., Schultz B.P., Thiel, V. (2012) Molecular preservation of the pigment melanin in fossil melanosomes. Nature Communications 3, doi:10.1038/ncomms1819.
Thiel V. and Sjövall, P. (2011) Using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry to study biomarkers. Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences 39, 125-156.
Blumenberg,M., Thiel, V., Riegel, W., Kah, L.C. & Reitner, J., (2011) Biomarkers of black shales formed by microbial mats, Late Mesoproterozoic (1.1 Ga) Taoudeni Basin, Mauritania. Precambrian Research (in press), doi:10.1016/j.precamres.2011.11.010.
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.
Peckmann J. & Thiel V. (2004) Carbon cycling at ancient methane-seeps. Chemical Geology 205, 443-467.
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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