Eva Boergens

G Geodesy

The 2026 Division Outstanding Early Career Scientist Award is awarded to Eva Boergens for outstanding work on addressing contemporary hydrological challenges using satellite geodesy.

Eva Boergens is a leading expert in the field of hydro-geodesy, and has contributed exceptional works utilising satellite observations to monitor contemporary changes of the terrestrial water cycle. Early in her career, Boergens published on geophysical signal separation in satellite gravity data. Furthermore in light of emerging water security issues, she quantified the severity and spatial extent of the European droughts in 2018 and 2019 using satellite derived terrestrial water storage changes. The breadth of her geodetic expertise and her drive to come up with real-world applications is also reflected in her early work on using radar altimetry for inland surface water monitoring. Boergens also contributed to tackling the spatial leakage problem and getting a grip on stochastic error characteristics in Terrestrial Water Storage products.  She is now responsible for generating Level-3 TWS (Terrestrial Water Storage) products in the GFZ GRACE-FO team, which provide readily usable products for a wide group of users including non-geodesists. Her exceptional aptitude for community services was already visible during her tenure as the president of the KonGeos conferences (2012/2013). She is further recognised in the community through leading the International Association of Geodesy (IAG) working group on 'Spatial Leakage Mitigation in Satellite Gravimetry', and is actively engaging in community events through convening, chairing and organisational activities.