Highlights at a glance

08:30 –Harnessing the ENVRI-Hub: data, tools, and services for interdisciplinary research (SC2.18 Room -2.82); Instruments and Initiatives for Policy Engagement (SC3.2 Room -2.41/42); How to publish my geoscience communication work: A hands-on, participatory workshop. (SC3.11 Room 0.55); The ethics of using Artificial Intelligence in the Geosciences - Opportunities and Risks (GDB2 Room E1); Dynamics, tectonics and evolution of rocky planets from formation to the present day (GD1.2 PICO PICO spot 3); Across the time scales, from earthquakes to earthquake cycle (TS3.2 Orals Room G2)
10:45 – Hands-on introduction to git for version-control of code (SC2.13 Room 0.55); Big Questions in the Anthropocene (SC2.29 Room -2.82); New Toolkits – the destabilisation of science and what we can do about it (SC3.3 Room -2.41/42); GM Division Outstanding ECS Award Lecture by Dongfeng Li (MAL43-GM Room G1); Redefining excellence and academic career pathways in the geosciences (US1 Room E1); Frontiers in Geomorphology (GM1.1 Orals Room G1)
12:45 – Jean Dominique Cassini Medal Lecture by Martin Bizzarro (MAL4 Room E1); Early Career Scientist (ECS) Forum (NET16 Room 3.16/17)
14:00 – Mentorship in Motion: Navigating the Career Ladder with Guidance and Growth (SC1.8 Room -2.41/42); DataViz: Visualise your data effectively and avoid common pitfalls (SC3.6 Room 0.55); Elevate your Pitch: Developing Engaging Short Scientific Presentations (SC3.10 Room -2.82); Celebrating 25 Years of Interactive Open Access Publishing: Transparent, Community-driven, Not-for-profit (EOS4.3 PICO PICO spot 5); Methane at 250 – History, Sources, Sinks and Climate Feedbacks. (US9 Room E1)
16:15 – Breaking Boundaries: Mastering Research Proposals – Insights and Strategies from a Global South Perspective (SC1.5 Room -2.82); Mind your head: How to navigate academic conflict (SC1.6 Room 0.55); Careers inside and outside of academia: Panel discussion (SC1.13 Room -2.41/42); Geoengineering - Overarching Great Debate (GDB3 Room E1)
19:00 – John Dalton Medal Lecture by Thorsten Wagener (MAL22-HS Room B); Lewis Fry Richardson Medal Lecture by Anastasios A. Tsonis and Arne Richter Award for Outstanding ECS Lecture by Francisco de Melo Viríssimo (MAL24-NP Room M2); Louis Néel Medal Lecture by Francois Renard and EMRP Division Outstanding ECS Award Lecture by Lucille Carbillet (MAL25-EMRP Room N1); Marie Tharp Medal Lecture by Christian Teyssier (MAL26-TS Room G2); Philippe Duchaufour Medal Lecture by Cornelia Rumpel and SSS Division Outstanding ECS Award Lecture by Layla Márquez San Emeterio (MAL27-SSS Room F2); Ralph Alger Bagnold Medal Lecture by Maarten G. Kleinhans (MAL29-GM Room D1); Robert Wilhelm Bunsen Medal Lecture by Giovanni Chiodini (MAL30-GMPV Room -2.33); Vening Meinesz Medal Lecture by Frank Flechtner and G Division Outstanding ECS Award Lecture by Eva Börgens (MAL32-G Room G1); Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky Medal Lecture by Thomas Stephen Bianchi and BG Division Outstanding ECS Award Lecture by Anne Klosterhalfen (MAL34-BG Room -2.15)

Redefining excellence and academic career pathways in the geosciences

How we define scientific excellence has an immediate, career-defining impact on geoscientists, particularly early- and mid-career researchers who contend with a series of short-time contracts, expectations of high mobility, and the relentless pressure to publish. Currently, the indicators we use to evaluate excellence in the geosciences are predominantly quantitative - including the number of peer-reviewed articles and citations, invited talks, awards won, funding sources obtained, publishing in “prestigious” journals, and positions held at prestigious institutions. However, all these indicators are biased and not representative of the impact of research on science and society. It is further increasingly recognised that they are often exclusionary for underrepresented groups and amplify imbalances of power and visibility. This Union Symposia invites diverse voices to reflect on how scientific excellence and academic systems (including peer-review and grant evaluation) can evolve to become more sustainable and inclusive - and who needs to drive these changes. In particular, we aim to challenge entrenched practices, instead transforming them into open and transparent processes that foster scientific progress.

US1: 10:45–12:30 (CEST) Room E1

Medal and Award lectures

GM Division Outstanding ECS Award Lecture by Dongfeng Li (MAL43-GM: 10:50–11:20 (CEST) Room G1)
Jean Dominique Cassini Medal Lecture by Martin Bizzarro (MAL4: 12:45–13:45 (CEST) Room E1)
John Dalton Medal Lecture by Thorsten Wagener (MAL22-HS: 19:00–20:00 (CEST) Room B)
Lewis Fry Richardson Medal Lecture by Anastasios A. Tsonis and Arne Richter Award for Outstanding ECS Lecture by Francisco de Melo Viríssimo (MAL24-NP: 19:00–20:00 (CEST) Room M2)
Louis Néel Medal Lecture by Francois Renard and EMRP Division Outstanding ECS Award Lecture by Lucille Carbillet (MAL25-EMRP: 19:00–20:00 (CEST) Room N1)
Marie Tharp Medal Lecture by Christian Teyssier (MAL26-TS: 19:00–19:30 (CEST) Room G2)
Philippe Duchaufour Medal Lecture by Cornelia Rumpel and SSS Division Outstanding ECS Award Lecture by Layla Márquez San Emeterio (MAL27-SSS: 19:00–19:55 (CEST) Room F2)
Ralph Alger Bagnold Medal Lecture by Maarten G. Kleinhans (MAL29-GM: 19:00–20:00 (CEST) Room D1)
Robert Wilhelm Bunsen Medal Lecture by Giovanni Chiodini (MAL30-GMPV: 19:00–20:00 (CEST) Room -2.33)
Vening Meinesz Medal Lecture by Frank Flechtner and G Division Outstanding ECS Award Lecture by Eva Börgens (MAL32-G: 19:00–19:55 (CEST) Room G1)
Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky Medal Lecture by Thomas Stephen Bianchi and BG Division Outstanding ECS Award Lecture by Anne Klosterhalfen (MAL34-BG: 19:00–19:55 (CEST) Room -2.15)

The ethics of using Artificial Intelligence in the Geosciences - Opportunities and Risks

In 2025, the Commission on Geoethics of the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) developed recommendations for the ethical application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in geosciences. The report discusses eight themes where ethical concerns surrounding AI are particularly relevant to the geosciences: human responsibility in AI use; transparency and explainability of AI systems; bias and fairness in data, models and algorithms; protection of personal data and informed consent; stakeholder and community participation; environmental protection; scientific integrity in research, publishing and education; and the geopolitical implications of AI deployment. Moving beyond high-level principles, the report makes actionable recommendations. As AI capabilities and adoption in the geosciences grow, profound questions arise. In this Great Debate, the panellists will address key issues raised by AI applications and the necessary ethical considerations, and will invite the audience to share their views.

GDB2: 08:30–10:15 (CEST) Room E1

Diverse & Rising Geoscientists Networking

This networking event is an opportunity to meet the volunteer members of the EGU EDI Committee in a safe and inclusive space, and learn more about the initiatives implemented by the EGU to raise awareness of the varied challenges faced by diverse and often under-represented geoscientists. This is an informal networking event where diverse geoscientists attending can interact with one another and with other geoscientists to build new connections across research and participation barriers. There will be an opportunity for rising geoscientists from diverse backgrounds to discuss the challenges that affect them and their colleagues personally, share their experiences and stories, and offer feedback and ideas on a range of important problems that can support our diverse geoscience community.

NET17: 18:00–19:30 (CEST) Rooftop Foyer

Celebrating 25 Years of Interactive Open Access Publishing: Transparent, Community-driven, Not-for-profit

This session is dedicated to celebrating 25 years of interactive open access publishing, the publication model that is applied in all EGU journals. All abstracts for this session will be provided by the executive/chief editors of the EGU journals and its compilations. To mark this milestone for the EGU publications and interactive open access publishing, the session showcases the full EGU publishing portfolio: EGUsphere, all EGU journals, and additional publications such as EGU Letters and the Encyclopedia of Geosciences and particular features of EGU’s transparent, community-driven and not-for-profit publishing approach.

EOS4.3 PICO: 14:00–18:00 (CEST) } PICO spot 5

Dynamics, tectonics and evolution of rocky planets from formation to the present day

Dynamical processes shape the Earth and other rocky planets throughout their history; their present state is a result of this long-term evolution. Early on, processes and lifetimes of magma oceans establish the initial conditions for their long-term development; subsequently their long-term evolution is shaped by the dynamics of the mantle-lithosphere system, compositional differentiation or mixing, possible core-mantle reactions, interaction with their fluid envelopes through outgassing and regassing, etc.. These processes can be interrogated through observations of the rock record, geochemistry, seismology, gravity, magnetism and planetary remote sensing all linked through geodynamical modelling constrained by physical properties of relevant phases. This session aims to provide a holistic view of the dynamics, tectonics, structure, composition and evolution of Earth and rocky planetary bodies (including exoplanets) on a range of temporal and spatial scales.

GD1.2 PICO: 08:30–12:30 (CEST), 16:15–18:00 (CEST) PICO spot 3

Across the time scales, from earthquakes to earthquake cycle

Every year brings new observations about earthquakes with a level of detail never reached before. In parallel, observational and computational methods keep improving significantly in seismology, geodesy, and in paleoseismology-geomorphology. Hence, on one hand, the number of earthquakes with well-documented rupture processes and deformation patterns is increasing. On the other hand, the number of studies documenting long time series of past earthquakes, including quantification of past deformation, has also increased. In parallel, the modeling community working on rupture dynamics, including earthquake cycle, is also making significant progress. Thus, this session will bring together these different contributions to foster further collaboration between the different groups all focusing on the same objective of integrating earthquake processes into the earthquake cycle framework.

TS3.2 Orals: 08:30–12:25 (CEST), 14:00–15:40 (CEST) Room G2

Methane at 250 – History, Sources, Sinks and Climate Feedbacks.

Methane was discovered 250 years ago, by Alessandro Volta in 1776, when he investigated ‘inflammable air’ in bubbles from Bruschera swamp, close to Lake Maggiore, Italy. Then, it was almost exclusively from natural sources. Today, anthropogenic methane from the natural gas and coal industries, ruminant and rice agriculture, landfills and sewage facilities, and from biomass burning and crop waste fires, contribute the bulk of annual global emissions. This Union session will discuss methane in the natural atmosphere, and its role in anthropogenic climate change.

US9: 14:00–15:45 (CEST) Room E1

Geoengineering - Overarching Great Debate

As our world approaches 1.5°C of global warming, worldwide emissions continue to grow, and the impacts of climate change escalate, there is a general sentiment that we are running out of time. Increasingly, geoengineering concepts are being pushed into media and policy spheres, using this sentiment of urgency to frame these concepts as “buying us time” for mitigation. There are many concepts, with the most advanced including solar radiation management (marine cloud brightening, stratospheric aerosol injection mostly), sea ice thickening/brightening, sea curtains, tarping mountain glaciers, ocean fertilisation or alkalinity enhancement, as well as ocean biomass dumping, and many more. Some might target the root cause of our rising temperatures by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, but with detrimental effects on the ecosystems impacted. Other concepts would just attenuate the symptoms of our planet, the rising global temperature. In this Great Debate, we aim to have a constructive and open dialogue on the value of delving into geoengineering concepts in the context of mitigation targets and policy dialogues.

GDB3: 16:15–18:00 (CEST) Room E1

EGU Exhibition

Don’t miss out the EGU Exhibition where you will get a chance to talk with industry representatives and members of other academic, scientific and publishing organisations. Several of the Exhibitors are running special events throughout the week, check the Exhibition events portal for a range of events.

Today at the Open Science and Data Help Desk lunchtime sessions: Assessing Climate Data-at-Risk (Steve Diggs, Scripps Institution of Oceanography)

12:15 – 13:45 (CEST) Booth X207

Opening times of the Exhibition:
Monday, 4 May to Thursday, 7 May 2026: daily from 10:00 to 18:00 (CEST)
Friday, 8 May 2025: 10:00–13:00 (CEST)

List of Exhibitors

Meet EGU - at the EGU Booth in Hall X2 and the 25 years of interactive publishing booth in the Entrance Hall

Talk to the volunteers who make EGU happen; from giving out awards and funding, to making decisions about our publications and the General Assembly, come and Meet EGU!

Meet the editors of Climate of the Past (25 years of interactive open-access publishing booth ): 10:00–11:00 CEST
Meet the editors of Nonlinear Processes in Geophysics (25 years of interactive open-access publishing booth ): 10:15–10:45 CEST
Meet the programme group chairs of Inter- and Transdisciplinary Sessions (EGU booth ): 10:15–10:45 CEST
Meet the Biogeosciences division team (EGU booth ): 12:30–13:30 CEST
Meet the Climate: Past, Present and Future division team (EGU booth ): 12:30–13:30 CEST
Meet the Geochemistry, Mineralogy, Petrology & Volcanology division team (EGU booth ): 15:00–16:00 CEST
Meet the Natural Hazards division team (EGU booth ): 16:00–17:00 CEST