Illuminating the buried past - Inaugural lecture by Kristina Jørkov Thomsen

The Earth’s surface preserves widespread sediment archives which record human evolution and expansion and how the surface has responded to climate change. However, these archives cannot be interpreted without a timescale, i.e., without knowing when the sediment was deposited.

Understanding the timing of past events is essential not only for reconstructing the history of landscapes and human activity but also for improving predictions about future climate change and thus helping to assess its potential impact on ecosystems, human societies, and global infrastructure.

This inaugural lecture will explain how “To see a World in a Grain of Sand” and discuss advantages and limitations of state-of-the-art OSL dating techniques applied to sediments and rock surfaces. It will also highlight exciting new applications with significant societal impact.

Kristina Jørkov Thomsen is a newly appointed Professor in Luminescence Physics and Applications in Earth Sciences.

She holds an MSc degree in Biophysics from Copenhagen University (2000) and a PhD degree (2003) in Optically Stimulated Luminescence from Copenhagen University.

The full lecture announcement can be accessed here.