Stephan Thober

Dr. Stephan Thober is a Group Leader of the HydroScientific Software Development (HSD) group at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ in Leipzig. He holds a PhD in Geosciences from Friedrich Schiller University of Jena and a Diploma in Mathematics from the University of Greifswald. His work focuses on advancing computational hydrosystems, particularly through the development and maintenance of the mesoscale Hydrologic Model (mHM). He is also a visiting scientist at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and leads the DestinE Climate Adaptation Digital Twin project. His research interests include hydrologic process representation, multiscale parameter regionalization, and climate change impacts on water resources.

Thober has led projects such as HOKLIM, investigating high-resolution climate projections for Europe, and contributed to the Ulysses project for global hydrological forecasting. His expertise spans statistical downscaling, land-surface modeling, and drought analysis. He has secured over €4 million in funding for initiatives like calibration of ECLand models and hydrological seasonal prediction services. His work emphasizes interdisciplinary applications, integrating environmental informatics and climate adaptation strategies.

Key achievements include developing drought indices for future climates, improving reservoir modeling techniques, and advancing metadata practices for simulation workflows. His team’s contributions to tools like HydroRiver and the mHM model have enhanced global hydrological understanding and climate resilience planning.