The European Geosciences Union (EGU) has been awarding the Vening Meinesz Medal for outstanding research achievements in the field of geodesy since 1998.
In 2023, the award goes to Jürgen Müller from the Institute of Geodesy, Leibniz University of Hannover, speaker of the DFG-Collaborative Research Centre TerraQ and member of the Executive Board of the Cluster of Excellence QuantumFrontiers. It is named after the Dutch geophysicist and geodesist Felix Andries Vening-Meinesz. With this award, the EGU honours Jürgen Müller's scientific leadership in the field of Lunar Laser Ranging and the test of general relativity as well as his contributions to advancing the field of geodesy especially in the use of quantum technology for novel applications and measurement concepts.
Professor Harald Schuh from the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) in Potsdam puts it this way in his laudation: “Jürgen Müller inimitably bridges the gap between physics and geodesy, where ground-breaking developments are transferred into geodetic applications. In his current research, he is working on using recent advances in quantum technology and optical clocks to improve measurements of the Earth’s gravity field and its changes in space and time. A project that has the potential to revolutionise our understanding of the Earth’s time variable gravity field.”
The award ceremony took place on 26 April 2023 during the General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union in Vienna. With around 18,000 members, the EGU is the leading organisation for Earth, planetary and space science research in Europe. Together with partner organisations worldwide, it fosters fundamental geoscience research, alongside applied research that addresses key societal and environmental challenges with the aim to realise a sustainable and just future for humanity and for the planet.
