From the president

Thomas Stocker

Welcome to the Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research at the University of Bern in Switzerland. Since more than a decade we are building a unique interdisciplinary research space that addresses one of the greatest challenges of human kind. With our research we aim at understanding the complex Earth System and its global response to perturbations in the past and the future. We focus on the impact of climate change on humans and ecosystems and think deeply about the human dimensions of these unprecedented changes. With our research, but also with our Graduate School of Climate Sciences, we contribute to the “Sustainability Focus” of the Universty of Bern.

We specialize at the boundaries of the classical scientific disciplines which provide us with the firm basis of our research. At the interface between physics, geography, biology, chemistry, history, economy, political sciences and philosophy exciting new questions arise that require scientific inquiry. They provide unique opportunities for young researchers to explore the Earth System, our environment, and the social processes that determine it. Our investigations cover past climate changes and environmental conditions, and they provide the important context to understand the present and assess the future changes.

At the Oeschger Centre we cover multiple dimensions of modern academic work. We provide a stimulating learning environment and promote young individuals in furthering their career. We carry out world-leading research and therefore participate in the creation and dissemination of new knowledge. And we contribute scientific information to decision makers and society at the regional level through the Mobiliar Lab for Natural Risks, and at the global level though the participation in international assessment processes such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).

Prof. Dr. Thomas Stocker, President Oeschger Centre