Dr. Johanna Kerch

Lecturer | Akad. Rätin a.Z. | Postdoctoral Researcher | Early Career Scientist
Computational Structural Glaciology

Research Interests

Statistical analysis and data-integrated computation of physical properties of glacier ice, in particular crystal anisotropy;
the effect of crystal anisotropy on ice flow (and ice flow modeling) to contribute to more accurate knowledge about past and future behaviour of the ice sheets;
as well as the potential of geophysical methods (e.g. seismics, ultrasonic sounding) to utilize crystal anisotropy to gain information about internal structure of ice bodies;
furthermore, short-scale variability in crystal anisotropy and sampling effects along ice cores are a methodological focus of my research.

I advocate for open source software in the academic work and teaching environment, digital literacy education, and FAIR data management. I strongly support the efforts towards gender equality in the natural sciences and compatibility of family life and academic career.

Collaborations, academic self governance and other activities

Guest scientist at RWTH Aachen with Prof. Dr. Julia Kowalski (since 2021)
Guest scientist at AWI Bremerhaven with Prof. Dr. Ilka Weikusat (since 2018)
Researcher for the EastGRIP Physical Properties consortium (since 2017)
Research participant in the Beyond Epica Physical Properties Consortium (since 2020)
Member of European Geosciences Union, Glaciology Division
Founding member of EGU working group parenting (2023)
Faculty council representative for non-professorial academic faculty members (since April 2023)
Faculty selection panel member for M.Sc. Geoscience (since April 2023)
Faculty Early and Mid Career network (initiator, with Dr. Marthe Klöcking)
Member of Dorothea Schlözer Career Coaching 2022
Workshop organisation 2022: Impostor Phenomenon - Awareness and Prevention
Workshop organisation 2021: Unconscious Bias Training

Project funding and grants

Bridging the Gap: From Terrestrial to Icy Moons Cryospheres (International Team in Space and Earth Sciences 2023, 23-589, Plesa & Kowalski)
OpenJupyter2 - Medienbruchfreie Integration von Jupyter Notebooks in die Lernplattform Open edX für akademische Lehre und berufliche Weiterbildung (BMBF, 11/22 - 10/24)
Studienqualitätsmittel 2022: Kaltlabor für optische Gefügeanalytik an Eiskernen
Dorothea Schlözer Career Coaching 2022
Gleichstellungs-Innovations-Fonds 2022: Impostor Phenomenon - Awareness and Prevention
Gleichstellungs-Innovations-Fonds 2021: Unconscious Bias Training
Doctoral scholarship (incl. several travel awards) by Deutsche Studienstiftung (2013 - 2016)

Education and development

Lecturer and postdoctoral researcher in the department of Structural Geology at GZG
Lecturer and postdoctoral researcher in the department Computational Geoscience at GZG
Motherhood
Postdoctoral researcher in Glaciology at Alfred-Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven
Dr. rer. nat., Institute of Environmental Physics, Heidelberg University
Dipl.-Phys., studies in physics, geophysics and geoscience in Göttingen and Edinburgh

Teaching

WiSe 2022/23
B.Geo.705 / B.Geg.11.1: Digitale Techniken (Vorlesung mit Übung)
M.Geo.238: Mikrotektonik (Vorlesung mit Übung)

WiSe 2021/22
B.Geo.705 / B.Geg.11.1: Digitale Techniken (Vorlesung mit Übung)
M.Geo.105: Geoscience Colloquium (organisation)
B.Geo.204, TM 2, LV 1: Fallstudien zur Strukturgeologie (Ringvorlesung)

SoSe 2021
M.Geo.336e: Digital Geoscience Seminar

WiSe 2020/21
M.Geo.336c: Simulationstechniken in den Geowissenschaften (Übung)

Bachelor projects (5 available)

I am currently working to establish a cold lab at GZG for the crystallographic analysis of samples from international ice core projects and methodological developments.
Watch this space or get in contact with me if you are interested!

Current/completed Bachelor projects

"Suitability of air inclusion as deformation markers in a fast-flowing ice stream in Greenland" (A. Stödter)
"Crystal-preferred orientation in shallow ice cores from the shear margin of the North-East Greenland Ice Stream" (A. Wichartz)

Available Bachelor projects (starting from WiSe 2024/25)

"Grain properties in Skytrain Ice Rise ice core from the WACSWAIN project"
"Production and crystallographic analysis of artificial salty ice samples as extraterrestrial analogue material for deformation tests"
"Short-scale analysis of bubble number density in comparison with visual stratigraphy records from the EGRIP ice core"
"Topological analysis of air inclusions with respect to the grain boundary network in the EGRIP ice core"
"Calculating seismic velocities to be expected from crystal-preferred orientation data in the EGRIP ice core"

Master projects (2 available)

Current/completed Master projects

"Microstructural analysis of an ice core from a fast-flowing Greenlandic ice stream regarding deformation and recrystallization processes" (K. Streng; co-advisor with Prof. Ilka Weikusat, Uni Tübingen/AWI)
"Simulating a glacier seismic survey to analyse the influence of crystal anisotropy on seismic data" (co-advisor with Dr. Marc Boxberg, RWTH Aachen)

Available Master projects (starting from WiSe 2024)

"Ultrasonic sounding along ice cores to determine crystal anisotropy as a continuous record - method development study"
"Ellipsometry for ice fabric - Proof of concept study to determine crystal orientation in ice cores from surface reflection"

Please get in contact with me if you want to know more about the available projects. Students from physics or geophysics are welcome to approach me concerning cross-faculty theses.