Marco Bohnhoff

Prof. Dr. Marco Bohnhoff is Head of Section 4.2 (Geomechanics and Scientific Drilling) at the GFZ Potsdam German Research Center for Geosciences and Professor of Experimental and Borehole Seismology at Freie Universität Berlin. Since 2019, he has served as Executive Director of the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP). His research focuses on earthquake physical processes at both reservoir and plate-tectonic scales, with particular emphasis on the North Anatolian Fault in Turkey and induced seismicity from human activities.

Bohnhoff's research interests span seismology, seismomechanics, geomechanics, borehole geophysics, and seismic monitoring of induced seismicity. His work investigates earthquake physics, seismotectonics, the seismic cycle at the North Anatolian Fault Zone, shear-wave anisotropy, and wide aperture seismics. He leads the ICDP-driven Geophysical Observatory at the North Anatolian Fault (GONAF) near Istanbul and similar projects in Koyna/India and STAR observatory in Italy.

His recent publications reveal trends in fault mechanics, earthquake prediction, and seismic hazard assessment, particularly for the Istanbul region which faces significant risk from a potential M7+ earthquake. His laboratory work combines with field observations to understand the relationship between fault properties, stress states, and earthquake occurrence across different scales.

• Elected member of the Leibniz-Sozietät der Wissenschaften zu Berlin e.V. (2018)
• Heisenberg-Fellowship awarded by Deutschen ForschungsGemeinschaft (DFG) (2007)

Bohnhoff has supervised more than 10 PhD students to completion and raised approximately 16 million euros in third-party funding. He leads major research projects including the GONAF observatory and participates in international collaborations studying seismic hazards. His work bridges fundamental earthquake physics with practical applications for seismic hazard mitigation, particularly in densely populated regions like Istanbul that face significant seismic risk.