Prof. Jan Esper

Jan Esper is a professor for climatology at JGU since 2010. He currently aims to solve the important problem of divergence in the tree ring record, which is an enigmatic issue that is not completely understood. He has been at the forefront of modern dendroclimatology for much of the last two decades, with a focus on the development of long tree-ring based climate reconstructions that preserve low frequency variability. His studies have been particularly important in understanding the climatic history of the Northern Hemisphere, and the effects of explosive volcanic eruptions on extreme climatic conditions and the consequences for tree growth.

He has been elected as member of the Academy of Sciences and Literature Mainz. In early 2020, he has been awarded an ERC Advanced Grant to study climate-induced tree growth changes in Northern Hemisphere forests. As a GRC fellow, he will establish quantitative wood anatomy as a new research direction and expand his research collaborations with his colleagues at JGU and beyond.