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Stephan Sobolev

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Stephan Vladimirovich Sobolev
Степан Владимирович Соболев
Stephan Sobolev in fieldwork at Siberian Traps, Polar Siberia, Russia, 2012.
Born(1954-03-23)March 23, 1954[1]
Lviv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union[1]
EducationNovosibirsk State University (Diploma, 1976)[1][2]
Known forGeodynamic and petrophysical modelling of plate-boundary deformation; modelling of mantle convection and tectonic style; tsunami early-warning concepts based on real-time GNSS/GPS
AwardsMember, Academia Europaea (elected 2021)[3]
ERC Synergy Grant (MEET, PI; 2020–2026)[3][4]
Scientific career
FieldsGeophysics, Geodynamics, Computational geodynamics, Seismology
InstitutionsGFZ Helmholtz Centre Potsdam – GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences[2]
University of Potsdam[5]
Thesis (1980[2])

Stephan Vladimirovich Sobolev (Russian: Степан Владимирович Соболев; born 23 March 1954) is a Russian–German geophysicist and computational geodynamicist working on physical modeling of mantle convection and its effects on geodynamics.[1] He is a group leader at the GFZ Helmholtz Centre Potsdam and Professor of Geodynamics at the University of Potsdam.[2][5] He is a principal investigator of the European Research Council (ERC) Synergy project Monitoring Earth Evolution Through Time (MEET) and member of the Academia Europaea.[4][3][6]

Early life and education

Sobolev was born on 23 March 1954 in Lviv (then Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union) in the family of Vladimir S. Sobolev.[1] He graduated with distinction from Novosibirsk State University (Faculty of Geology and Geophysics) in 1976.[1] In 1980 he defended a Candidate of Sciences (PhD-equivalent) dissertation at the Schmidt Institute of Physics of the Earth (USSR Academy of Sciences).[1][2]

Career

According to the Academia Europaea profile, Sobolev worked at the Schmidt Institute of Physics of the Earth in Moscow from 1976 to 1993, progressing to head a modelling section.[3] He then held positions in Germany including an Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship at the Geophysical Institute of the University of Karlsruhe (1992–1996), a visiting professorship at the Institut de Physique du Globe (University of Strasbourg) (1996–1997), and subsequently appointments at GFZ Potsdam (from 1997).[3]

At GFZ, he founded and headed the Section of Geodynamic Modelling (2007–2019).[3][6] In 2015 he accepted a W3 professorship in Geodynamics at the University of Potsdam as a joint appointment with GFZ.[5] In 2020 he became a principal investigator of the ERC Synergy project MEET (2020–2026).[4][3]

Research

Sobolev’s research spans numerical and physical modelling of plate-boundary deformation and associated hazards[7][8][9][10], mantle convection and tectonic style (including early Earth)[11], interaction between thermochemical mantle plumes and lithosphere producing large igneous provinces[12] and coupled geodynamic–petrological approaches linking deformation, phase changes and magmatism.[6][2] [13] According to Google Scholar of January 3, 2026 Stephan Sobolev's papers have been cited over 14000 times in scientific literature.

Honours and awards

  • Member, Academia Europaea (Earth & Cosmic Sciences), elected 2021.[3]
  • ERC Synergy Grant: Monitoring Earth Evolution Through Time (MEET), principal investigator (research period 2020–2026).[3][4]
  • GFZ Senior Researcher Award for outstanding research (2004).[3]
  • Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship (1992).[3][14]
  • Academy of Sciences (USSR) Medal for Best Research in Geosciences (1987).[3]

Selected publications

  • Muldashev, I. A.; Sobolev, S.V. (2020). “What Controls Maximum Magnitudes of Giant Subduction Earthquakes?”. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems. doi:10.1029/2020GC009145.[7]
  • Sobolev, S. V.; Brown, M. (2019). “Surface erosion events controlled the evolution of plate tectonics on Earth”. Nature. doi:10.1038/s41586-019-1258-4.[11]
  • Sobolev, S. V. et al. (2011). “Linking mantle plumes, large igneous provinces and environmental catastrophes”. Nature. doi:10.1038/nature10385.[12]
  • Sobolev, S. V. et al. (2007). “Tsunami early warning using GPS‐Shield arrays”. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth. doi:10.1029/2006JB004640.[8]
  • Sobolev, S. V.; Babeyko, A. Y. (2005). “What drives orogeny in the Andes?”. Geology. doi:10.1130/G21557.1 .[9]
  • Babeyko, A. Y.; Sobolev, S. V. (2005). “Quantifying different modes of the late Cenozoic shortening in the central Andes”. Geology. doi:10.1130/G21126AR.1.[10]
  • Sobolev, S. V. (1996). “Upper mantle temperatures from teleseismic tomography of the Baltic shield”. Earth and Planetary Science Letters. doi:10.1016/0012-821X(95)00238-8.[13]

See also

  • GFZ staff profile[2]
  • Academia Europaea member page[3]
  • Humboldt Foundation profile[14]
  • CORDIS: MEET project page[4]

References

  1. "ГЕОФИЗИКИ: МАТЕРИАЛЫ К БИОБИБЛИОГРАФИИ" (PDF). iphras.ru (Институт философии РАН). 2022. Retrieved 2026-01-03.
  2. "Prof Dr. Stephan V. Sobolev (Staff profile)". GFZ. Retrieved 2026-01-03.
  3. "Academy of Europe: Sobolev Stephan". Academia Europaea (ae-info.org). Retrieved 2026-01-03.
  4. "Monitoring Earth Evolution Through Time (MEET)". CORDIS (European Commission). Retrieved 2026-01-03.
  5. "Stephan Sobolev accepted professorship at University Potsdam". GFZ. 2015-08-21. Retrieved 2026-01-03.
  6. "Prof. Dr. Stephan Sobolev elected to the prestigious Academia Europaea". GFZ. Retrieved 2026-01-03.
  7. Muldashev, I. A.; et al. (2020). "What Controls Maximum Magnitudes of Giant Subduction Earthquakes?". Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems. doi:10.1029/2020GC009145. Retrieved 2026-01-06.
  8. Sobolev, S. V.; et al. (2007). "Tsunami early warning using GPS‐Shield arrays". Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth. doi:10.1029/2006JB004640. Retrieved 2026-01-06.
  9. Sobolev, S. V.; Babeyko, A. Y. (2005). "What drives orogeny in the Andes?". Geology. 33 (8): 617–620. doi:10.1130/G21557AR.1. Retrieved 2026-01-06.
  10. Babeyko, A. Y.; Sobolev, S. V. (2005). "Quantifying different modes of the late Cenozoic shortening in the central Andes". Geology. doi:10.1130/G21126AR.1. Retrieved 2026-01-06.
  11. Sobolev, Stephan V.; Brown, Michael (2019-06-05). "Surface erosion events controlled the evolution of plate tectonics on Earth". Nature. 570 (7759): 52–57. doi:10.1038/s41586-019-1258-4. PMID 31168102. Retrieved 2026-01-06.
  12. Sobolev, Stephan V.; Sobolev, Alexander V.; Kuzmin, Dmitry V.; Krivolutskaya, Nadezhda A.; Petrunin, Alexey G.; Arndt, Nicholas T.; Radko, Viktor A.; Vasiliev, Yuri R. (2011-09-14). "Linking mantle plumes, large igneous provinces and environmental catastrophes". Nature. 477 (7364): 312–316. doi:10.1038/nature10385. PMID 21921914. Retrieved 2026-01-06.
  13. Sobolev, S. V. (1996). "Upper mantle temperatures from teleseismic tomography of the Baltic shield". Earth and Planetary Science Letters. doi:10.1016/0012-821X(95)00238-8. Retrieved 2026-01-06.
  14. "Prof. Dr. Stephan V. Sobolev – Profil". Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. Retrieved 2026-01-03.