Lars Kutzbach

Prof. Lars Kutzbach is a Professor of 'Soils in the Climate System' at the University of Hamburg's Institute of Soil Science. He leads research on Arctic permafrost dynamics, carbon cycling, and climate feedback mechanisms. His work integrates field observations, modeling, and interdisciplinary collaborations within clusters like CLICCS (Cluster of Excellence on Climate, Climatic Change, and Society).

He holds leadership roles in the Centrum für Erdsystemforschung und Nachhaltigkeit (CEN) and coordinates projects such as the BMBF-funded 'MOMENT' initiative studying permafrost methane emissions. Key research focuses include:

• Permafrost thaw impacts on carbon and methane budgets
• Climate-soil-vegetation interactions in Arctic and coastal ecosystems
• Hydrological and biogeochemical processes at Earth system interfaces

Teaching responsibilities include courses on global biogeochemical cycles, soil-atmosphere coupling, and permafrost landscapes. He co-leads CLICCS Research Topics A1 (Arctic Carbon Dynamics) and chairs the 'Soil Gases' working group of the German Soil Science Society.