Oliver Jagoutz

Research Interests

I am deeply interested in understanding the complex processes that shape planet’s crust and geological evolution. My work addresses fundamental questions about Earth’s history and dynamics. I am also very excited about interdisciplinary projects that tackle problems of societal relevance from a multitude of different, often unconventional approaches.

My principal expertise is in geological fieldwork, petrology, structural geology and geochemistry.

Topics I investigate:

• Natural carbon sequestration processes as a guide for solutions for climate change
• Natural reactions for geological hydrogen production
• Evolution of arc magmas and the formation of economic deposits
• The relationship between tectonics and long-term climate variations
• Formation and evolution of planetary crusts

Biographic Sketch

Oliver Jagoutz joined the EAPS faculty in 2008. At the undergraduate level, Jagoutz studied Chemistry and Geology at the University of Mainz and was a European Union Erasmus Scholar at ETH Zurich. He went on to earn his PhD in 2004 from ETH Zurich, studying with J.P. Burg, with additional studies at the Tokyo Institute of Technology working with Shige Maruyama. Before coming to MIT, Jagoutz pursued postdoctoral work with Othmar Müntener at the University of Bern.

Fieldwork is central to his research, with Jagoutz typically working several months a year at sites around the globe. Past locations have included Greece, Zimbabwe, Switzerland, Italy, Pakistan, India, Mongolia, Morocco, and the western US.