Thomas Rüde

Thomas Rüde is Universitätsprofessor for Hydrogeology at RWTH Aachen University, Germany, where he leads the Hydrogeology group within the Faculty of Georesources and Materials Engineering. Holding the chair since 2005, he also serves as Managing Director of the Vereinigung Aachener Geowissenschaftler e.V. and has previously been Vice-President (2008-2014) and Executive Council member (2000-2008) of the International Mine Water Association (IMWA).

Education

• 2004 – Privatdozent (Dr. rer. nat. habil.), University of Munich
• 1995 – Dr. rer. nat., University of Karlsruhe
• 1991 – Diplom-Geologe, University of Karlsruhe

Research focus

Professor Rüde’s work centres on understanding and modelling flow and reactive transport in complex aquifer systems. Key themes include:

• Contaminant hydrogeology – behaviour of geogenic arsenic and uranium in groundwater
• Groundwater protection and remediation – risk assessment and mitigation strategies
• Mine-water management – acid mine drainage, dewatering-well clogging, post-mining landscapes
• Tracer and hydraulic testing – field experiments to quantify subsurface heterogeneity
• Numerical modelling – high-performance simulation of multi-aquifer systems and karst

His research spans Europe (Germany, Austria, Netherlands), Latin America (Mexico, Indonesia) and South-East Asia, frequently in close collaboration with local universities and industry partners.

Publication trends

Since 2010, Rüde has published extensively on geogenic contamination (As, U, F) in sedimentary and volcanic aquifers, mine-water impacts, and karst hydraulics. Recent work (2022-24) highlights advanced environmental tracers (gadolinium), transboundary groundwater issues, and the sustainable management of post-mining landscapes under climate change. Numerical models range from site-scale dewatering optimisation to catchment-scale coupled flow-transport simulations.

Scientific awards & recognition

• Best Teaching Award 2010 – RWTH Aachen University
• Best Teaching Award 2012 – RWTH Aachen University
• Best Teaching Award 2014 – RWTH Aachen University

Supervision & academic service

Since 1998 he has taught hydrogeology through lectures, seminars, laboratory and field courses, and computer-based modelling labs. To date he has supervised:

• 13 PhD candidates
• 34 Diploma students
• 57 MSc students
• 63 BSc students

He is Chairman of the Study Commission for the BSc programme in Georesources Management at RWTH Aachen, ensuring curriculum development and quality assurance.

Laboratory & field infrastructure

His group operates modern hydrochemical laboratories for trace-element analyses and maintains field stations for tracer experiments in Germany, Mexico and Indonesia. High-performance computing resources (in collaboration with the Jülich Supercomputing Centre) enable large-scale groundwater modelling and Monte-Carlo uncertainty assessments.