Dunai Tibor János

Tibor János Dunai is a Professor (W3) at the Institute of Geology and Mineralogy, University of Cologne, Germany. He has held visiting professorships at UCN Antofagasta (Chile) and the University of Edinburgh (UK). His career includes roles as Reader of Geomorphology and Senior Lecturer in Geomorphology at the University of Edinburgh, and tenured research positions at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Dunai leads major research initiatives, including the Coordinated Research Centre CRC 1211 'Earth – Evolution at the dry limit' (2016-2024) and coordinated the EU FP6 project CRONUS-EU. He holds a Dr.rer.nat habil from the University of Münster (2003), Dr.sc. from ETH Zürich (1994), and Diplom Mineraloge from Heidelberg University (1989).

His research focuses on Earth Surface Processes, Geomorphology, and Cosmogenic Nuclides, with emphasis on dating landscapes and understanding arid environment evolution. Dunai has pioneered methodologies in cosmogenic nuclide production rates and authored the textbook Cosmogenic nuclides: principles, concepts and applications (2010). He has served as editor for journals like Earth and Planetary Science Letters and led international conferences on cosmogenic nuclides.

Professional highlights include directorships of CologneAMS (Germany's leading accelerator mass spectrometry facility) and the University of Cologne's Department of Geosciences. He has organized over 20 international workshops, including the CRONUS-EU summer school (2006) and the GSGS Summer School (2016). Awards include the Albertus Magnus Teaching Award (2013) and Leverhulme Fellowship (2007).

His research group investigates hyperarid desert evolution (e.g., Atacama and Patagonia) using cosmogenic isotope systems, with recent work on krypton-81 dating in zircon. Dunai's leadership spans interdisciplinary collaborations across Europe, integrating geology, geochemistry, and climate science to address Earth's surface dynamics at the dry limit.