In Conversation

Research and scientific exchange are inextricably linked in many respects. The question of how to deal with the requirements of being mobile on the one hand and aspects of climate protection on the other often arises when it comes to international networking and engagement. We asked Prof. Dr. Reicherter, Rector's Delegate for Collaboration with India and Professor of Neotectonics and Natural Hazards, for his opinion.

Prof. Reicherter, tell us a bit about yourself. Who are you, and what do you do at RWTH?

I have been a professor of Neotectonics and Natural Hazards since 2006. I explore recent and historic earthquakes, tsunamis, and other natural disasters. As these events occur worldwide, my team and I must travel to collect and send results and samples from the field (e.g., for dating the events). We have been studying the effects of earthquakes, including secondary effects such as tsunamis and mass movements, for almost two decades. Research areas include Germany, Spain, Greece, Sicily, Albania, Japan, India, Indonesia, Iceland, Japan, Cuba, Mexico, Oman, Chile, China, Namibia, Mongolia, the USA, and many other countries. We led several neotectonic and earthquake geology expeditions to many parts of the world as well as paleo-tsunami expeditions in Oman, Greece, and Spain. We also guided ship expeditions with the German RV Meteor. Furthermore, we are researching changes in climatic paleo-environmental conditions and landscape changes.

You are also RWTH’s Rector’s Delegate for India and the Coordinator of the Indo-German Centre for Sustainability. Trans-disciplinary research and international research collaboration between India and Germany are two of the defining features of the IGCS.

How does this collaboration work? In your opinion, has the nature of the collaboration changed in recent years with regard to traveling?

Prof. Reicherter: During the Covid pandemic, we had to keep up with ongoing projects, doctoral studies, and planned meetings, so we learned to use online meetings to a) maintain contact, b) talk quickly about a topic, and also c) successfully hold workshops and summer/winter schools. Not having to travel so far and across multiple time zones as much, thanks to online options, certainly makes life easier and also takes less time away from the work piling up at home. We also tried out new formats, such as an online internship. However, it has become clear that personal contact cannot be replaced. When you are face-to-face with someone, you get a different feel for the other person and can react promptly, which is very difficult online. In online meetings, a top-down approach is typically used. At times, this approach is not fair, and due to the time constraints of such sessions, things might not be thought through properly, and decisions are made too quickly. I didn’t like the fact that I didn’t have time to make balanced decisions. Working ad hoc is possible, but too often, everyone involved is left wanting. So now, international collaboration is once again more personalized and involves much more travel. But this personal interaction is really the most important aspect of our international engagement.

Has your own job-related mobility changed in recent years? If so, how? And how do you, personally, deal with air travel?

Prof. Reicherter: Now that the Covid pandemic and its associated travel restrictions are behind us, I would say that my personal travel habits are back to pre-pandemic levels. I travel a lot and also to far away destinations. I would always want to attend a doctoral candidate’s defense in person, if possible. (This also includes associated aspects such as networking and cultivating partnerships.) I travel to fewer conferences and usually plan my intercontinental trips a year in advance, trying to bundle them, take open jaw flights, and combine trips to Japan and Korea, for example. However, I don’t quite understand the focus on “air travel” here; aviation currently accounts for only 3.1% of global emissions. So the question should have been posed differently: “And how do you personally deal with long-distance and short-distance travel?” would have been better.

Within Germany, I mainly use more environmentally friendly alternatives and travel by bike, train, or bus. I also offset my flights’ carbon footprint.

Prof. Reicherter, thank you very much for answering our questions!