Heiner Igel

Prof. Heiner Igel is a Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. His research focuses on advanced seismic instrumentation, rotational ground motion analysis, planetary geophysics, and nonlinear seismic wave dynamics. He leads multidisciplinary projects such as the NEPOS initiative for planetary exploration and the ROMY ring laser observatory.

Key research areas include:

• Development of 6-component (6C) seismic sensors for structural health monitoring
• Full-waveform inversion techniques for crustal and mantle imaging
• Applications of rotational sensing in earthquake engineering and lunar exploration

Recent work addresses novel methods for:

• Nonlinear seismic rupture modeling with discontinuous Galerkin methods
• Planetary subsurface exploration using autonomous robotic swarms
• Quantifying seismic anisotropy through multicomponent observations

His lab operates cutting-edge facilities including the ROMY ring laser and collaborates globally on projects like the SmartSolo seismic node development for geothermal and environmental research.