Michael Strasser is a Full Professor in Sedimentary Geology at the University of Innsbruck since October 2015. Since 2021 he acts as Head of Department of the Department of Geology at University of Innsbruck.
Born in 1977 in Kilchberg, Switzerland, he studied Earth Science at ETH Zurich and also gained his PhD in 2008 from there. Following this, he received a Swiss National Science Foundation (SNFS) fellowship to support post-doctoral work at the Research Centre for Ocean Margins, Univ. Bremen, Germany, and worked as MARUM Post-Doc fellow there until 2011. From 2011 to 2015 he has been SNFS-Professor and Assistant Professor for Sediment Dynamics at ETH Zurich, Switzerland.
His research uses sedimentary archives from lakes and oceans to understand how tectonic, surface and biogeochemical processes shape sedimentary systems across timescales, from individual geohazard events to system response and recovery. His group combines geophysical imaging, sedimentology, scientific drilling, core-scanning technologies and quantitative data analysis to investigate sediment deformation, mass-transport processes and event-stratigraphic records in marine and lacustrine environments. Particular emphasis is placed on linking these sedimentary records to tectonic forcing, carbon cycling and ecosystem recovery following major geohazard events.
Professor Strasser has played leading roles in international scientific ocean drilling programmes and interdisciplinary research initiatives that advance understanding of subduction-zone processes and the functioning of sedimentary systems in deep oceanic trenches. His work contributes to improved assessment of earthquake, submarine landslide and tsunami hazards while providing new insights into the links between tectonics, sedimentary processes, carbon cycling and ecosystem resilience. He has (co-) authored more than 130 peer-reviewed publications and has received several international awards, including the AGU Asahiko Taira International Scientific Ocean Drilling Research Prize (2017), the IAS Young Scientist Award (2014), the Hans Cloos Prize (2011) and the ETH Medal (2008).