New professorship in Geothermal Energy

Martin O. Saar obtained his PhD in Earth & Planetary Sciences from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2003, later conducting research as the Turner Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Michigan. From 2005 to 2014, he worked as Assistant, Associate, and recently Full Professor at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, USA, where he remains as adjunct professor.

Martin O. Saar specialises in studying the interactions between fluids, energy, and rocks in the Earth's crust, and carries out numerical modelling studies, laboratory experiments, and field work on this topic. His scientific work spans from fundamental research (e.g. percolation theory, numerical methods, reactive transport simulations, rheology of complex fluids) to applied investigations. His applied research covers most aspects of geothermal energy production including that from Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS), and deep and shallow resources. He also uses geophysical fluid dynamics methods to investigate enhanced oil recovery, groundwater flow and availability, and volcano hydrology. He is the co-inventer of a new technology entitled CO₂-Plume Geothermal (CPG) that looks at combining CO₂, produced by power plants, chemical or cement manufacturers, and other CO₂ emitters, and combining it with extraction of geothermal energy, resulting in a CO₂-sequestering geothermal power plant that has a negative carbon footprint, contributing to the reduction in global climate change.

The appointment of Professor Saar will strengthen the Department of Earth Sciences' focus on researching the geotechnically exploitable subsurface in Switzerland and worldwide. The Chair will assume a key role in the “Swiss Competence Center on Energy Research (SCCER) – Supply of Electricity” and make an important contribution to the country's energy supply.

The chair was made possible, in part, by the generous support by the Werner Siemens Foundation.