Index

Young Research Group: Geographies of Digital Infrastructures

I am part of the young research group “Geographies of Digital Infrastructures”. Our project’s topic is “Resiliance of Digital Infrastructure – Geopolitical Conflicts Surrounding Internet Routing”, see NG Geographien digitaler Infrastrukturen for more information.

PhD project in Computer Science

My interdisciplinary PhD project is located in the intersection of Computer Science (Internet measurement, IT-security) and Geography (digital infrastructure, geopolitics). I analyse the impact that physical Internet infrastructure such as submarine fiber-optic cables, data centers, and interconnection facilities have on digital interconnection between networks, and what role economic strategies of private and state actors as well as geopolitical contexts play in data routing decisions.

Within my research, I use and extend on common Internet measurements techniques. Public, historic databases aid me in tracing routing decisions over time, which are partially reflected in traceroutes and Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) routing tables. By focussing on select pieces of infrastructure, I investigate the network topology arround it to understand the interplay between phyiscal and digital interconnection.

EllaLink serves as a case study for my PhD project. As the first – and, to date, only – fibre-optic cable carrying IP traffic between Europe and South America, it offers a chance to study changes in network proximity between two continents in as isolated a system as is possible within the incredibly interconnected global Internet.

Another aim of my PhD project is to create a threat model for state actors wanting secure, sovereign, and resillient digital connectivity even in times of crisis. As I have shown in my Master thesis “Towards a Threat Model for Satellite Internet in War Zones – Insights from the Russia-Ukraine War”, classic threat models are perfected for systems on a much smaller scale than a whole country’s connectivity, and ignore that sometimes, the security goals of a system’s owner or operator aren’t congruent with a system’s user. Yet, state actors often rely on private and even foreign companies, tech giants, and sometimes individuals to secure connectivity for their people. With how ciritcal global, fast, and easily accessible connectivity is in times of peace as well as conflict, state actors must be equipped with the tools to to ascertain, analyze, prevent, and mitigate threats towards it – a threat model for Internet connectivity from a state actor’s perspective.

Vorträge

• Spatial Politics of Internet Infrastructures: The Promise and Unintended Effects of the EllaLink Submarine Cable; Jahrestagung des AK Digitale Geographie 6.-7.11.2025 in Frankfurt am Main

Publikationen

• Warlich, Maja (2025): Reeling in Secrets: A Deep Dive into FinFisher Spyware. FIfF-Kommunikation, 2/2025, S. 7-12

Since 2025
Working Group “Resilienz digitaler Infrastrukturen – Geopolitische Konflikte um Internet-Routing”, NG Geographien digitaler Infrastrukturen, FAU
2022 – 2025
M.Sc. Computer Science – “Towards a Threat Model for Satellite Internet in War Zones – Insights from the Russia-Ukraine War”, Department of Computer Science, FAU
2024 – 2025
Head Delegate – “FAU Model United Nations (FAUMUN) Seminar”, Department of Public and International Law, FAU
2018 – 2024
Part-Time Employee and Working Student – “Document & Configuration Management Professional”, Research and Development, Siemens AG
2017 – 2022
B.Sc. Computational Engineering – “Implementation of Communication Schemes for the LB Method using Different Data Structures through Meta-Programming Techniques”, Department of Computer Science, FAU

since 2025:  Scientific employee, Institute of Geography, FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg, DE.

2025: M.Sc. Geobiology and Paleobiology, Faculty of Geosciences, LMU Munich, DE.

2021: B.Sc. Environmental Geoscience, School of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow, UK.

Ongoing PhD in the project ALPHA: Deciphering changes in Alpine hazard frequencies and magnitudes using geophysical, sedimentological and limnological methods

03/2023: Venia Legendi in Geography (Privatdozentin/Associate Professor)

02/2023: Facultas Docendi in Geography (Habilitation, Dr. habil.)

since 08/2008: Research assistant, Institute of Geography, FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg

05/2006 – 04/2008: Research assistant, Institute of Physical Geography, J.W. Goethe University Frankfurt am Main

10/2005 – 4/2006: Studies in Practical Computer Science and Applied Mathematics, Justus Liebig University Giessen

07/2005: Doctorate (Dr. rer. nat.), Institute of Geography, Justus Liebig University Giessen

04/2001-07/2005: Doctoral studies, Institute of Geography, Justus Liebig University Giessen; doctoral scholarship from the Evangelisches Studienwerk e.V. Villigst

08/2000: Diploma (Geography), Justus Liebig University Giessen

04/1996-08/2000: Diploma studies in Geography, Justus Liebig University Giessen

10/1994-03/2001: Studies in Geography and Biology for teaching at secondary schools, Justus Liebig University Giessen

Offices and committee work at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg

Since 10/2025: Member of the Faculty Council, Faculty of Natural Sciences

since 10/2023: Women’s representative, Department of Geography and Geosciences

since 10/2023: Board member, Institute of Geography

since 10/2023: Member of the advisory board, John Philip Green Foundation

10/2021-09/2023: Member of the Faculty Council, Faculty of Natural Sciences

10/2017-09/2021: Board member, Department of Geography and Geosciences

10/2017-09/2021: Board member, Institute of Geography

05/2016/-09/2019: Board member, Centre for Teacher Training (ZfL)

since 12/2013: Admissions Committee for Master’s programmes, Institute of Geography

10/2011-09/2013: Women’s representative, Department of Geography and Geosciences

since 05/2011: Programme management, Institute of Geography

My research focuses on the intersection of geographical development studies, urban studies, disaster studies and the associated society-environment interactions. Current research involves an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary analysis of living environments and livelihoods, which are constantly challenged and contested in a state of flux due to social pressures, environmental and climate change, and hazards and risks. Aspects of urban development, regulatory processes in cities, and patterns of vulnerability in risk and disaster contexts are particularly important here. I also focus on serious disruptions to everyday life, and the challenges and opportunities involved in adapting to, dealing with, and overcoming threats. Related to this is my current research on urban food and livelihood security, and urban green infrastructure, with the aim of establishing fair, inclusive, sustainable and resilient cities.

Ongoing research projects

HARVEST – Harnessing Social Innovations for Enhanced Food Security: Alternative Food Networks in cities in Tanzania and NepalHARVEST – Harnessing Social Innovations for Enhanced Food Security: Alternative Food Networks in cities in Tanzania and Nepal

The HARVEST project aims to explore ways of strengthening local food systems and exploiting the full potential of territorial markets to improve food security, food quality and employment opportunities in the cities of Arusha (Tanzania) and Kathmandu (Nepal) through collaborative research. By focusing on mobilising alternative food networks (AFNs), such as edible gardens, contract farming and pop-up farmers’ markets, we aim to identify the key factors that lead to the emergence and development of social innovation processes. These processes create new forms of organisation among food sector actors, as well as new relationships and modes of interaction between producers and consumers. They also have the potential to increase the effectiveness of AFNs and contribute to sustainable and socially just food security. Through applied research, the project aims to generate urgently needed knowledge for evidence-based policymaking and to find viable, sustainable solutions to challenges in the area of food security and livelihoods under uncertain and crisis-prone conditions. A transdisciplinary research process based on joint knowledge creation and horizontal and vertical knowledge exchange will help to promote the implementation potential of the project results.

Agriculture, Food Security and Urban Development in Kathmandu Valley/NepalAgriculture, Food Security and Urban Development in Kathmandu Valley/Nepal

The combined effects of rapid population growth in the Kathmandu Valley, weak institutional capacity and rising demand for land, services and housing are leading to a significant decline in green spaces and ecosystem services. This is resulting in the impairment of biodiversity and a deterioration in urban populations’ access to safe food, water and income-generating opportunities. These issues are having an increasingly negative impact on sustainable development and the achievement of national and international development goals, including the SDGs. They are also affecting livelihoods and food security in urban, peri-urban and rural areas.

In recent years, significant changes have been observed in the traditional urban agricultural system on the outskirts of the city: ambitious infrastructure and urban development projects are competing for land, while many farmers are becoming more interested in commercial agriculture, such as the cultivation of high-value crops and horticulture, and less interested in subsistence farming. Recurring crises and disasters, such as the 2015 earthquake in Nepal and the COVID-19 pandemic, have also highlighted the vulnerability of conventional agricultural and food systems.

Agriculture in the Kathmandu Valley is therefore subject to competing land use demands and increased pressure to adapt. In recent years, small-scale farmers and agribusinesses have responded to this by building greenhouses, since expanding the area under cultivation is not feasible. However, these current developments have not yet been systematically investigated. To address this, the project, which is funded by the Sonderfonds für wissenschaftliches Arbeiten an der Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, will examine the temporal and spatial dynamics of greenhouse cultivation, as well as its role and impact within the urban agricultural system of the Kathmandu Valley. The project will also consider land use, operational structures, economic forms, cultivated products, labour requirements and marketing.

Completed research projects and research work

CHIDA – Inclusive Urban Development in Africa: Designing Nature-Based Solutions and Enhancing Citizenship to Mitigate Hazards and Livelihood RisksCHIDA – Inclusive Urban Development in Africa: Designing Nature-Based Solutions and Enhancing Citizenship to Mitigate Hazards and Livelihood Risks

Cities in sub-Saharan Africa are undergoing extremely dynamic transformation processes. Those involved in urban development and administration, including residents, are confronted with a multitude of contradictory change phenomena that undermine efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the objectives of the New Urban Agenda (NUA), making it difficult to build urban resilience and sustainability. Uncertainties influenced by climate change, as well as environmental, social and economic stressors and risks, are accumulating and exacerbating the already precarious living conditions of vulnerable urban residents. City administrations and others involved in urban planning and management are also affected, as they increasingly lack the resources and capacities to fulfil their roles adequately. The CHIDA* project, which was funded by the BMBF until the end of 2024, examined these challenges by taking a nature-based solutions (NbS) approach. The international project consortium focused on the interrelationships between NbS, especially urban green infrastructure (GI), civic engagement, livelihoods, and food security. Using the example of four cities in Malawi and South Africa, the consortium investigated the potential of NbS to effectively counter the threats and risks of urban living environments.

*Chida = tool, instrument in Chichewa, the official language of Malawi

Sustainable urban livelihoods in the context of disasterSustainable urban livelihoods in the context of disaster

In spring 2015, Nepal, a Himalayan state, was rocked by a devastating earthquake. As a result, around 17,000 people fled the worst-affected rural areas for the Kathmandu Valley. Many of these internally displaced persons (IDPs) were still living in temporary shelters in extremely precarious and insecure conditions, years after the disaster. While the reasons why people flee or are displaced in the event of a disaster are relatively well understood, uncertainties remain about what causes people to remain in displacement locations for extended periods of time. This project aimed to improve our understanding of the factors that cause IDPs’ living conditions to remain unchanged many years after the earthquake.

Sustainable urban livelihoods and urban green infrastructure in Bangkok und SingapurSustainable urban livelihoods and urban green infrastructure in Bangkok und Singapur

Metropolitan regions in Southeast Asia are currently experiencing rapid change, resulting in numerous isolated or fragmented urban neighbourhoods and living environments characterised by injustice, insecurity and physical and psychological vulnerability. Examining these processes in the context of the interrelationships between civic engagement, justice, livelihoods and food security, and urban green infrastructure, the project used Bangkok and Singapore as examples to find solutions for inclusive urban development. Adopting a normative approach, the project focused on the concept of the ‘just city’: only a city characterised by social integration, civic engagement, ingenuity, and creativity can be resilient and sustainable. The project was funded by the Dr Hertha and Helmut Schmauser Foundation.

LIPSINDAR – Linking Partners for a Sustainable and Inclusive Dar es SalaamLIPSINDAR – Linking Partners for a Sustainable and Inclusive Dar es Salaam

The BMBF networking project, LIPSINDAR, involved three project consortia: AfriCity (University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, FAU), ECOSOLA (University of Oldenburg) and GOPLAREA (University of Dortmund). It addressed risk, resilience, sustainable living, food security, governance, planning, inclusion processes, green infrastructure and social adaptability in cities in Eastern and Southern Africa, adopting a variety of disciplinary and thematic perspectives. The project focused on institutions, social order processes, the inclusive city and resilience-prone livelihoods. The project’s overarching goal was to link the activities of the individual projects via the common theme of ‘Sustainable City of the Future’, working on them in a focused, integrative, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary manner using the case study of the mega-city of Dar es Salaam.

AfriCity – Adaptability, Food Security, Risk, and the Right to the City in Sub-Saharan Africa: Towards Sustainable Livelihoods and Green InfrastructureAfriCity – Adaptability, Food Security, Risk, and the Right to the City in Sub-Saharan Africa: Towards Sustainable Livelihoods and Green Infrastructure

The AfriCity project addressed the challenges faced by urban residents in Eastern and Southern Africa in the context of climate, social, and economic change. It aimed to promote sustainable urban living and social adaptability through an innovative approach that improves understanding of the links between urban green infrastructure and the right to the city. This project, funded by the BMBF and DAAD, was particularly innovative in its thematic focus on a highly topical issue: green infrastructure in cities, interpreted beyond mere aestheticisation and open space design. Instead, it was regarded as a means of creating a fair city for everyone, a concept that is only gradually being incorporated into research and urban development practices in sub-Saharan Africa. The close integration of research and graduate training, as well as its link to planning practice, also played a key role in the project. Funded by the BMBF and DAAD until 2021, the project formed part of the German government’s strategy, ‘Partnerships for Sustainable Solutions with Sub-Saharan Africa’, which aims to promote the internationalisation of science and research.

Further completed research projects and research workFurther completed research projects and research work

CaDRiR Nepal – Culturally adapted Disaster Risk Reduction in Nepal (Bayerische Forschungsallianz, 2016)

Competing Orders in post-conflict Nepal (Schmauser-Stiftung, 2013-2016)

Mountain Poverty and Environmental Change in the Nepal-Himalayas (2009-2010)

start – Management Strategies for Pharmaceuticals in Drinking Water (BMBF, 2006-2008; Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin)

Natural hazards in Nepal: Impact and perception from a gender perspective (JLU Gießen, 2003)

Natural hazards and natural risks in the Nepal Himalayas. A geographical analysis of causes, effects and the effectiveness of protective measures (dissertation project, scholarship funded by Evangelisches Studienwerk e.V., 2001-2005)

Journals and anthologies

Bauer, W. & Titz, A. (2025): Manoeuvring barriers: Assessing adaptive strategies for and persistent barriers to urban Nature-based Solutions in Lilongwe, Malawi. Nature-based Solutions 7 (June 2025). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nbsj.2025.100224

Bauer, W., Titz, A. & Manda, M. (2024): Tracing the Urbanisation of Risk in Malawi. A Multilevel Analysis. Jámbà: Journal of Disaster Risk Studies 16(1). https://doi.org/10.4102/jamba.v16i1.1668

Bauer, W., Krüger, F. & Titz, A. (2024): NaturbasierteLösungen für einenachhaltige undinklusiveStadtentwicklungim subsaharischenAfrikaDas Beispiel Lilongwe, Malawi. Standort, Februar 2024. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00548-024-00910-4

Titz, A. (2021): Geographies of Doing Nothing – INternal Displacement and Practices of Post-Disaster Recovery in Urban Areas of Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. Social Sciences 10(3), 110. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci10030110

Krüger, F., Titz, A., Arndt, R., Groß, F., Mehrbach, F., Pajung, V., Suda, L., Wadenstorfer, M., Wimmer, L. (2021): The Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) in Dar es Salaam: A Pilot Study on Critical Infrastructure, Sustainable Urban Development and Livelihoods. Sustainability, 13(3), 1058. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13031058.

Krüger, F., Drescher, A., Louis, N. & Titz, A. (2019): Das subsaharische Afrika. Entwicklungsdynamiken, Herausforderungen, Lösungsversuche. Geographische Rundschau (11). 4-9.

Titz, A., Chiotha, S. (2019): Pathways for Sustainable and Inclusive Cities in Southern and Eastern Africa through Urban Green Infrastructure? Sustainability 11(10), 2729. DOI:10.3390/su11102729

Titz, A., Cannon, T. & F. Krüger (2018): Uncovering ‘Community’: Challenging an Elusive Concept in Development and Disaster Related Work. Societies 8(3), 71. DOI:10.3390/soc8030071

Titz, A. (2018): Button, Gregory V., and Mark Schuller (eds.): Contextualizing Disaster. Anthropos 113(1): 285 – 286. DOI:  10.5771/0257-9774-2018-1-285 (Rezension)

Krüger, F. & Titz, A. (2017): USA regional: Mythos und Alltagskultur – der Mittlere Westen. In: Gamerith, W. & Gerhard, U. (Hrsg.): Kulturgeographie der USA. Eine Nation begreifen: 51-57. Springer Spektrum, Wiesbaden.

Titz, A., Grießinger, J. & Raven, S. (2016): Naturgefahren und Naturgefahrenmanagement im Oberen Paznauntal/Tirol. Mitteilungen der Fränkischen Geographischen Gesellschaft 61/62: 47-60.

Geiselhart, K.; Fleischer, M.; Fürmaier, P.; Haferburg, Ch.; Kaplan, L.; Kieslinger, J.; Kordel, S.; Kress, M.; Lendl, J.; Orlowski, B.; Pohle, P.; Schnorr, K.; Titz, A. & Weidinger, T. (2015): Kulturgeographisches Geländepraktikum. Erlanger Skripte zum Geographiestudium (ESGEO) Band 4. Institut für Geographie. Erlangen.

Fuchs, S., Gerhard, U., Krüger, F. & Titz, A. (2015): Der Mittlere Westen – Dynamische Veränderungen im Herzen der USA. Geographische Rundschau (3). 4-11.

Cannon, T., Titz, A. & Krüger, F. (2014): The myth of community? In: Cannon, T., Shipper, L., Bankoff, G. & Krüger, F. (Eds.): World Disasters Report 2014. Focus on Culture and Risk: 93-119. International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Genf.

Titz, A. (2012): Naturgefahren als Entwicklungshemmnis. Das Beispiel Nepal-Himalaya. Praxis Geographie 42(9): 34-38.

Titz A. (2011): Naturgefahren und Naturgefahrenmanagement in Nepal. Geographische Rundschau 63(1): 58-65.

Titz, A. & Döll, P. (2009): Actor modelling and its contribution to the development of integrative strategies for management of pharmaceuticals in drinking water. Social Science & Medicine 68(4):672-681. DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2008.11.031

Haffner, W., Benachib, H., Brock, C., Gerique-Zipfel, A., Merk, K., Morkel, S., Park, M., Pohle P., Titz, A. & Werning, K. (2003). Sustainable Livelihood in Southern Mustang District. In: Domroes, M. (Ed.): Translating Development. The Case of Nepal: 282-312. New Delhi.

Titz, A. (1999): Historische und aktuelle Bedrohung durch glaziale Naturgefahren im Venter Tal. In: Pohle, P. (Ed.): Besiedlung und Erschließung der Alpen. Berichte eines Studienprojektes im Venter Tal 1997. Werkstattpapiere 11: 103-116. Gießen.

Monographs

Titz, A. (2023): The multiple layers of injustice in contexts of disaster and development: A fuzzy landscape of concepts and diverging issues. Habilitationsschrift. FAU erlangen-Nürnerg.

Titz, A. (2005): Naturgefahren und Naturrisiken im Nepal-Himalaya. Eine geographische Analyse von Ursachen, Auswirkungen und der Wirksamkeit von Schutzmaßnahmen (Dissertation). Verfügbar unter: http://dx.doi.org/10.22029/jlupub-9533

Titz, A. (2000): Naturrisiken und Siedlungsentwicklung in Nepal-Himalaya. Eine regionale Analyse aus dem südlichen Mustang Distrikt. Unveröffentlichte Diplomarbeit. Gießen.

Online reports

Titz, A. und Krüger, F. (2015): Warum war man in Nepal auf das Erdbeben vom 25. April 2015 schlecht vorbereitet? Verfügbar unter https://www.fau.de/2015/05/news/nachgefragt/warum-war-man-in-nepal-auf-das-erdbeben-vom-25-april-2015-schlecht-vorbereitet

Titz, A. und Grießinger, J. (2013): Naturgefahren und Naturgefahrenmanagement im Oberengadin. Virtuelle Posterausstellung. Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse des Projektseminars. Verfügbar unter: https://www.geographie.nat.fau.de/studium/exkursionen-und-projekte/projektseminar-naturgefahren-und-naturgefahrenmanagement/

Titz, A. (2002): Traditional Settlement Pattern and Natural Risks in Southern Mustang District. Verfügbar unter: http://www.uni-giessen.de/%7Egg1057/nepal/risks.htm

Overview of teaching activities (in German)

Ice dynamics, ice shelves, Antarctica, Svalbard, Spitsbergen, outlet glaciers, ice thickness reconstruction Interessen
1. Reconstruction of glacier thickness on Svalbard
2. Data assimilation using ice flow models on ice sheet scales
3. Effects of the ice shelf buttressing effect on Antarctic outlet glaciers
4. Ice dynamic influence on the volume development of the Greenland ice sheet

Refer to : (JRG Glacier systems & natural hazards)

DELIGHT Junior Research Group Leader, FAU, Erlangen-Nüremberg
2024-2030
PI of DELIGHT Framework project, seeking to couple a suite of models to accurately model the entire hydrological system of glacierised catchments (all processes from precipitation through glacier mass balance and hydrology to downstream hydrology) using machine learning to overcome computational bottlenecks.  Early-career Postdoctoral Fellow, Faculté de Géosciences et l’Environnement, Université de Lausanne 
2022-2024 
Used the IGM deep-learning-driven glacier-flow-and-inversion model to invert for ice thickness at all the world’s glaciers outside the ice sheets, allowing us to better constrain sea-level rise (important for the 10% of the world’s population that live near the coast) and the evolution of water resources and water-related catchments in glacierised catchments (home to a third of the world’s population). Further expanded simulation-design, big-data-processing and data-analysis skills. Postdoctoral researcher, Institut des Géosciences de l’Environnement, Université Grenoble Alpes
2020-2022
Worked on the project ANR-Magic, implementing data assimilation scheme in Elmer/Ice in 2D and 3D to improve the model’s ability to take into account observations to refine its own predictions and state. Further improved programming and model coupling skills. PhD Polar Studies, Selwyn College, University of Cambridge
2016-2020
Thesis title: Connect Store: A fully coupled 3D model of ice flow, calving, subglacial hydrology and ice-ocean interactions applied to Store Glacier, Greenland. Awarded 28.11.20. Funded by NERC. Supervised by Dr Poul Christoffersen. Developed a fully coupled numerical model of a tidewater glacier system including ice flow, calving, subglacial hydrology and proglacial meltwater plumes, within the finite-element, 3D, full-Stokes Elmer/Ice modelling suite in order to improve understanding and prediction of the behaviour of these complex systems. Model applied to Store Glacier, west Greenland. Validated the model with reference to a record of calving events in July 2017 at Store Glacier, extracted from a three-week terrestrial radar interferometer record gathered on a month-long field campaign. 

• Cook, S. J., Jouvet, G., Millan, R., Rabatel, A., Zekollari, H., and Dussaillant, I.: Committed Ice Loss in the European Alps Until 2050 Using a Deep-Learning-Aided 3D Ice-Flow Model With Data Assimilation, Geophysical Research Letters, 50(23), e2023GL105029. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL105029 
• Cook, S. J., Christoffersen, P., and Wheel, I.: Coupled 3D full-Stokes modelling of tidewater glaciers, Annals of Glaciology, 1-4. doi:10.1017/aog.2023.4, 2023. 
• Cook, S.J., Gillet-Chaulet, F., and Fürst, J.: Robust reconstruction of glacier beds using transient 2D assimilation with Stokes, Journal of Glaciology, 1-10, https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2023.26, 2023. 
• Cook, S. J., Christoffersen, P., and Todd, J.: Fully-coupled 3D modelling of ice flow, calving, subglacial hydrology and calving-front melting at Store Glacier, West Greenland, Journal of Glaciology, 1-17, https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2021.109, 2021 
• Cook, S. J., Christoffersen, P., Truffer, M., Chudley, T. R., and Abellán, A.: Calving of a Large Greenlandic Tidewater Glacier has Complex Links to Meltwater Plumes and Mélange. Journal of Geophysical Research : Earth Surface, 126(4), e2020JF006051. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JF006051, 2021 
• Cook, S. J., Christoffersen, P., Todd, J., Slater, D., and Chauché, N.: Coupled modelling of subglacial hydrology and calving-front melting at Store Glacier, West Greenland, The Cryosphere, 14, 905-924, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-905-2020, 2020. 
• Benn, D.I., Todd, J.A., Luckman, A., Bevan, S.L., Chudley, T.R., Åström, J., Zwinger, T., Cook, S.J., and Christoffersen, P.: Controls on calving at a large Greenland tidewater glacier: stress regime, self-organised criticality and the crevasse-depth calving law, Journal of Glaciology, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2023.81, 2023 
• Law, R., Christoffersen, P., Mackie, E., Cook, S.J., Haseloff, M., and Gagliardini, O.: Hybrid basal motion of the Greenland Ice Sheet, Science Advances, 9(6), https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abq5180, 2023. 
• Derkacheva, A., Gillet-Chaulet, F., Mouginot, J., Jager, E., Maier, N., and Cook, S. J.: Seasonal evolution of basal environment conditions of Russell sector, West Greenland, inverted from satellite observation of surface flow, The Cryosphere, 15, 5675–5704, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5675-2021, 2021. 

I teach some of the Masters-level courses in the department in both semesters. For what’s currently on offer, please check the relevant course pages or in CAMPO.

My research focuses on modelling contemporary glaciers at a variety of scales with a variety of methods, from explicit physical modelling to deep learning. I am particularly interested in glacial processes related to hydrology and those occurring at tidewater glaciers. For more information on my current research project, please see the group page.
I believe I am also technically the world expert on glaciation in Middle-earth, mainly because no one else has bothered thinking about it to the best of my knowledge.

since 2022: Doctoral Canditate in the Climate System Research Group, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg
2017 – 2021: M.Sc. Atmospheric Science at the Institute of Atmospheric and Cryospheric Sciences, University of Innsbruck
2014 – 2017: B.Sc. Atmospheric Science at the Institute of Atmospheric and Cryospheric Sciences, University of Innsbruck

Saigger, M., Sauter, T., Schmid, C., Collier, E., Goger, B., Kaser, G., et al.: A drifting and blowing snow scheme in the weather research and forecasting model. Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, 16, e2023MS004007. https://doi.org/10.1029/ 2023MS004007, 2024.

Voordendag, A., Goger, B., Prinz, R., Sauter, T., Mölg, T., Saigger, M., and Kaser, G.: A novel framework to investigate wind-driven snow redistribution over an Alpine glacier: combination of high-resolution terrestrial laser scans and large-eddy simulations, The Cryosphere, 18, 849–868, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-849-2024, 2024.

Saigger, M. and Gohm, A.: Is it north or west foehn? A Lagrangian analysis of Penetration and Interruption of Alpine Foehn intensive observation period 1 (PIANO IOP 1), Weather Clim. Dynam., 3, 279–303, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-3-279-2022, 2022.

t.b.a.

IDP MOCCA (Measuring and Modeling of Mountain Glaciers and Ice Caps in a Changing Climate), Subproject 3.1: Snow drift and internal refreezing in glacier mass balance models

t.b.a.

Since 02/2021 Research associate/doctoral candidate in AG Mölg, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg

04/2017 – 07/2019 MSc Climate and Environmental Sciences, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg

10/2013 – 09/2016 BSc Physische Geographie, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg

Kropač, E., Mölg, T., and Cullen, N.J. (2025): From sea to summit: Investigating the explicit role of SST increase for regional and high-altitude climates in New Zealand. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 130(15): e2025JD043572. https://doi.org/10.1029/2025JD043572

Kropač, E., Mölg, T., and Cullen, N.J. (2024): A new, high‐resolution atmospheric dataset for southern New Zealand, 2005–2020. Geoscience Data Journal, 4(11): 873–895. https://doi.org/10.1002/gdj3.263

Kropač, E., Mölg, T., Cullen, N.J., Collier, E., Pickler, C., and Turton, J.V. (2021): A detailed, multi-scale assessment of an atmospheric river event and its impact on extreme glacier melt in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 126(9): e2020JD034217. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JD034217

Mölg, T., Hardy, D.R., Collier, E., Kropač, E., Schmid, C., Cullen, N.J., Kaser, G., Prinz, R., and Winkler, M. (2020): Mesoscale atmospheric circulation controls of local meteorological elevation gradients on Kersten Glacier near Kilimanjaro summit. Earth System Dynamics, 11(3): 653–672. https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-11-653-2020

AG Klimatologie (Mölg)

Project (DFG-funded):

NZ-PROXY: Das Potenzial von corallinen Algen als Indikator des Klimas in der Südlichen Hemisphäre und für die Evaluierung von globalen Klimamodellen: eine Fallstudie zu Neuseeland -> More information

Research focus:

• Regional atmospheric modelling using WRF (Weather Research and Forecasting model)
• Mesoscale atmospheric processes in mountainous regions
• High-elevation climate and atmosphere–glacier interactions
• New Zealand climate
• Climate proxies

since August 2025: PostDoc in the JRG Glacier Systems & Natural Hazards at the Institute of Geography in the IMMINENT project

since May 2024: Coordination of the Internationale Doctorate Program “Measuring and Modelling Mountain glaciers and ice caps in a Changing ClimAte (M³OCCA)”

July 2025: PhD “Recent glacier evolution and response to climatic changes in the Cordillera Darwin Icefield, Tierra del Fuego”

2020 – 2025: Research Assistant and Doctoral Candidate in the JRG Glacier Systems & Natural Hazards at the Institute of Geography

2020: M.Sc. Climate & Environmental Sciences, Institute of Geography, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg

2017: B.Sc. Physical Geography, Institute of Geography, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg

Farías-Barahona D., et al. (2026): QFuego-Patagonia: A comprehensive glacier-related dataset for Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego, South America, Journal of Glaciology, 72, e14, doi:10.1017/jog.2025.10110.

Temme, F., Sommer, C., Schaefer, M., Jaña, R., Arigony-Neto, J., Gonzalez, I., Iagirre, E., Giesecke, R., Tetzner, D., and Fürst, J.J. (2025): Climate’s firm grip on glacier ablation in the Cordillera Darwin Icefield, Tierra del Fuego, Nature Communications 16, 2677, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57698-6.

Tetzner, D. R., et al. (2025): The first firn core from the Cordillera Darwin Icefield: Implications for future ice core research, Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 130,e2024JD043124, https://doi.org/10.1029/2024JD043124.

Langhamer, L.; Sauter, T.; Temme, F.; Werner, N.; Heinze, F.; Arigony-Neto, J.; Gonzalez, I.; Jaña, R.; and Schneider, C. (2024): Response of lacustrine glacier dynamics to atmospheric forcing in the Cordillera Darwin, Journal of Glaciology, https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2024.14.

Temme, F.; Farías-Barahona, D.; Seehaus, T.; Jaña, R.; Arigony-Neto, J.; Gonzalez, I.; Arndt, A.; Sauter, T.; Schneider, C.; and Fürst, J. J. (2023): Strategies for regional modeling of surface mass balance at the Monte Sarmiento Massif, Tierra del Fuego, The Cryosphere, 17, 2343–2365, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2343-2023.

Temme, F.; Turton, J.V.; Mölg, T.; Sauter, T. (2020): Flow Regimes and Föhn Types Characterize the Local Climate of Southern Patagonia. Atmosphere 11, 899, https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11090899.

Research activity in the ANR-DFG project “MAGIC: The Mountain Glacier Forecast Framework” and follow-up project “IMMINENT: The Climatic Imprint on Recent Glacier Demise in the Cordillera Darwin, Tierra Del Fuego” by Dr. Johannes Fürst. The aim is to investigate past and future glacier development in the Chilean Cordillera Darwin and to better understand the influence of climatic changes.

Since June 2022: Doctoral candidate in the IDP M³OCCA program, Institute of Geography, FAU Erlangen–Nürnberg.

2019–2022: M.Sc. in Climate and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Geography, FAU Erlangen–Nürnberg.