»If I weren't an optimist, I wouldn't be sitting here.«
Katja Matthes
Prof. Matthes, why the ocean?
I’m a physicist by training and have a background in atmospheric research. At first, I was especially interested in the stratosphere, which can be found 20 to 50 kilometers above our planet. My focus was on natural climate variations on a roughly ten-year time scale. Back then, I realized that the ocean played a pivotal role for the climate. In the war on climate change, it’s our most important ally.
Did you feel a connection to the ocean as a child?
The water has always been important to me. I grew up in West Berlin, and I did competition swimming as a child. For me, the sea was always a magical place, especially because I came from a major city. Today I still enjoy the horizon, the vast expanses; they’re very relaxing.
When was your first research cruise?
Just last year, in 2024! During my time as a professor at GEOMAR, I mostly focused on climate models. As Director, I absolutely wanted to join an expedition. On board the research ship Meteor in the Mediterranean, we conducted underwater surveys of Etna, off the coast of Sicily. I got to see Abyss, our large autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), in action and even to pilot it. It was fascinating to map the seafloor, take sediment samples, and get to know the ship from galley to bridge.
What was your most important finding to date?
It was a great moment in my research career when we were able to prove the connection between sunspots and the North Atlantic Oscillation: air-pressure differences over the Atlantic between the Azores and Iceland, which in turn influence winds, temperatures and precipitation in Europe. That was a true revelation, as it showed that there is coupling between the natural variability of the sun and the ocean, and that it affects our climate. If we want a better understanding of anthropogenic climate change, we also have to be aware of these natural variations.
You head a major institute. What’s it like not to do research of your own anymore?
It was a conscious choice. When you switch from research to science management, you have very little left for your own research. My job is to create good framework conditions so that others can do research. At the same time, I have more freedom and can engage in dialogue with policymakers and international partners.
You’re the first woman Director of GEOMAR. Do you consider yourself a role model?
I think so, even if I didn’t always see myself that way. I’m the first female Director of GEOMAR in Kiel since it was founded in 1937 and hope I won’t be the last. We’ve achieved much in the past few years, like systematically increasing the percentage of women in managerial positions – from 17 to now 34 percent. We also created a Women’s Executive Board to motivate other women to pursue managerial positions.
What obstacles did you encounter as a researcher?
Early in my career I didn’t have many problems, because I was part of a working group led by the only female meteorology professor in Germany; there were women in the group from around the world. It was only after my dissertation that I realized there were networks that were hard for women to join. But I had good mentors, mostly men, who supported and encouraged me. I didn’t always throw my hat in the ring; sometimes I was approached. Women tend to be more reluctant to apply for positions.
You’re a mother of three. How does that work out together with an academic career?
It’s never the perfect time to have kids. I was pregnant when I started my first job in the US. There, balancing your family and career was much more a matter of course. It was harder in Germany – even when it came to finding a kindergarten that was open in the afternoon! I remember a job interview where I was asked how I planned to do the job with two small kids. My answer: just like I’d always done, together with my husband.
You’ve relocated quite a bit. That couldn’t have been easy.
The first time, my husband and I moved to the US, with no kids and just four suitcases. We came back three years later – with two small children, seven suitcases, and two pallets of air cargo. And we moved while were in the US, too. After that, we lived with my step-parents for a time, then moved to Berlin, to Kleinmachnow, and finally to the Baltic. In those years, our oldest son had to move six times. Once we were all eating supper and our youngest – who only knew her home on the Baltic – said quite innocently: Oh, it would be great to move houses. But her older siblings shouted in unison: No way! Not again!
Were there times when you thought about giving up?
Yes! When we came back from the US, all I could get were limited-term contracts, sometimes for just eight weeks. We had to think twice before buying new shoes for the kids; the budget was tight. It may not look that way in my CV, but it wasn’t always easy.
What’s your most important motto?
Do what you love – without passion, you can’t pursue this type of career with the necessary intensity. Research has a lot to do with delivering results and keeping tight deadlines. But you shouldn’t forget that there’s a life outside your job. The younger generation pays much more attention to this aspect. There are also more men taking parental leave, which I find outstanding.
What advice would you give to young women interested in an academic career?
You have to be passionate about what you do. Employment conditions are often uncertain and you’ll find much higher salaries in the business world. But if research is what drives you, you’ll find a way to make it work. It’s important to have role models, networks, and targeted mentoring. But I’m also convinced that it takes quotas to really change things.
What drives you today?
I’m fascinated by how processes in the ocean and atmosphere affect one another. I enjoy puzzles – and research, too, is all about putting together the pieces of the puzzle and understanding how our climate works. Through my work, I want to help find answers to the great challenges of our time.
What challenges, for example?
I’d love to take a peek ten years into the future and find out whether we can actually use the ocean as a CO2 reservoir for hard-to-avoid residual emissions and reach our climate targets. I’m confident we can: If I weren’t an optimist, I wouldn’t be sitting here.
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Prof. Katja Matthes, born in 1975 in Berlin, is the Director of GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in Kiel and a Professor of Atmospheric Physics.
