Situated in the Eastern Alps, the Research Centre for Geodynamics and Geomaterials is uniquely positioned to directly experience, observe, and investigate the effect of geodynamic processes on geomaterials.

Our mission is to unravel the multiscale interplay of chemical and mechanical processes in the solid Earth, from the individual crystal to the evolution of the lithosphere.

Bringing together the complementary expertise of the Institute of Mineralogy and Petrography and the Department of Geology, we investigate how fluid–rock interaction, deformation, reactive transport, phase transitions, and diffusion mechanisms interact to alter the chemical and physical properties of rocks.

These coupled processes span vast ranges of temperature, pressure, time, and space, linking metamorphic, igneous, and sedimentary petrology with crystallography, structural geology, and tectonics.

By integrating field observations from active Alpine geodynamic settings with advanced laboratory experiments and high-resolution analytical techniques, we aim to bridge (sub-)microscopic mechanisms and large-scale geodynamic phenomena shaping the Earth.