State Order of Merit for Katja Matthes

Today, the Minister-President of Schleswig-Holstein, Daniel Günther, awarded Professor Dr Katja Matthes the State Order of Merit. This honours her services to German marine and climate research, as well as her contribution to incorporating scientific findings into social and political decision-making processes. Matthes has been Director of the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel since 2020. 

Under her leadership, GEOMAR is making significant progress in fundamental ocean research and is working closely with national, European, and international partners on projects including the development of the German carbon management strategy, crisis responses to marine natural hazards, and the management of munitions in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. In this context, as a founding member of the MUNIMAR Centre of Excellence in Schleswig-Holstein, GEOMAR is playing a key role in providing scientific support for the German government’s clearance programme and numerous Europe-wide projects. GEOMAR is also involved in science-based policy processes, such as the reform of the EU’s fisheries policy and the drafting of a Mining Code by the International Seabed Authority.

Another key focus is the expansion of high-performance research infrastructure. In her role as Director, Matthes oversaw the completion of the new building, finalising GEOMAR’s research campus on the eastern shore of the Kiel Fjord. Spanning 30,000 square metres, the building now houses 230 offices, more than 180 laboratories and climate chambers, a seawater facility, a state-of-the-art data centre, and one of Germany’s largest marine science libraries. By reorganising the integrated Ocean Research & Technology Centre (ORTC), she is encouraging technological innovation in marine research, as well as the resulting spin-offs and patents in the maritime sector. 

Academic career and international collaboration

Katja Matthes studied meteorology at the Free University of Berlin, where she completed her PhD in 2003. After conducting research abroad, she returned to Germany in 2007 to take up teaching and management roles at the GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences. In 2012, she accepted a position at Kiel University and GEOMAR, where she has held a professorship in atmospheric physics ever since. 

An expert in climate variability and climate change, she has authored or co-authored over 75 peer-reviewed scientific articles and contributed to the latest Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Her research helps determine the human impact on the climate more precisely and improves climate forecasts.

In her role as Director of GEOMAR, Katja Matthes sits on the board of numerous bodies, including the German Alliance for Marine Research (DAM). She is expanding existing international partnerships, such as the European G3 with the French Ifremer (Institut français de recherche pour l’exploitation de la mer) and the British NOC (National Oceanography Centre), and initiating new collaborations with leading institutes worldwide. 

Katja Matthes represents German marine research in international negotiations, such as at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (Conference of the Parties, COP) and the United Nations Ocean Conferences. She is also committed to the goals of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.

Leadership roles within the Helmholtz Association

Within the Helmholtz Association, she coordinates the ‘Helmholtz KLIMA’ dialogue platform and is involved in programme planning for the coming years as part of ‘Changing Earth – Sustaining our Future’. 

Matthes regularly contributes to public discourse on marine and climate issues, including through interviews, discussions and science programmes. As the first woman to head GEOMAR, she serves as a role model for young female scientists. She is strongly committed to gender equality in leadership positions, and has established the Women’s Executive Board to help achieve this. Under her leadership, the proportion of female professors at GEOMAR has risen to around one-third.