Stephan Sobolev

This article is about the geophysicist and geodynamicist. For other people with the surname, see Sobolev.
Stephan Vladimirovich Sobolev
Степан Владимирович Соболев
Stephan Sobolev in fieldwork at Siberian Traps, Polar Siberia, Russia, 2012.
Born(1954-03-23)March 23, 1954[5]
Lviv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union[5]
EducationNovosibirsk State University (Diploma, 1976)[5][3]
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)[1]
ERC Synergy Grant (MEET, PI; 2020–2026)[1][2]
Scientific career
FieldsGeophysics, Geodynamics, Computational geodynamics, Seismology
InstitutionsGFZ Helmholtz Centre Potsdam – GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences[3]
University of Potsdam[4]
Thesis (1980[3])

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.[5] He is a group leader at the GFZ Helmholtz Centre Potsdam and Professor of Geodynamics at the University of Potsdam.[3][4] 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.[2][1][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.[5] He graduated with distinction from Novosibirsk State University (Faculty of Geology and Geophysics) in 1976.[5] In 1980 he defended a Candidate of Sciences (PhD-equivalent) dissertation at the Schmidt Institute of Physics of the Earth (USSR Academy of Sciences).[5][3]

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.[1] 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).[1]

At GFZ, he founded and headed the Section of Geodynamic Modelling (2007–2019).[1][6] In 2015 he accepted a W3 professorship in Geodynamics at the University of Potsdam as a joint appointment with GFZ.[4] In 2020 he became a principal investigator of the ERC Synergy project MEET (2020–2026).[2][1]

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][3] [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.[1]
  • ERC Synergy Grant: Monitoring Earth Evolution Through Time (MEET), principal investigator (research period 2020–2026).[1][2]
  • GFZ Senior Researcher Award for outstanding research (2004).[1]
  • Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship (1992).[1][14]
  • Academy of Sciences (USSR) Medal for Best Research in Geosciences (1987).[1]

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[3]
  • Academia Europaea member page[1]
  • Humboldt Foundation profile[14]
  • CORDIS: MEET project page[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Academy of Europe: Sobolev Stephan". Academia Europaea (ae-info.org). Retrieved 2026-01-03.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Monitoring Earth Evolution Through Time (MEET)". CORDIS (European Commission). Retrieved 2026-01-03.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Prof Dr. Stephan V. Sobolev (Staff profile)". GFZ. Retrieved 2026-01-03.
  4. ^ a b c "Stephan Sobolev accepted professorship at University Potsdam". GFZ. 2015-08-21. Retrieved 2026-01-03.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g "ГЕОФИЗИКИ: МАТЕРИАЛЫ К БИОБИБЛИОГРАФИИ" (PDF). iphras.ru (Институт философии РАН). 2022. Retrieved 2026-01-03.
  6. ^ a b c "Prof. Dr. Stephan Sobolev elected to the prestigious Academia Europaea". GFZ. Retrieved 2026-01-03.
  7. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b "Prof. Dr. Stephan V. Sobolev – Profil". Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. Retrieved 2026-01-03.
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