Jonathan Donges is Deputy Lead of the Earth Resilience Science Unit (ERSU) at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. He leads ERSU's research theme on integrated human-Earth system modelling and Earth resilience analysis . He interacts closely with PIK's Earth System Analysis (RD1) and Complexity Science Departments (RD4) in the scope of PIK's Earth System Science collaboration and the COPAN collaboration.
His research work focusses on dynamics of planetary-scale socio-ecological systems, climatic and social tipping elements, their dynamics and interactions, decarbonization dynamics and sustainability transformation, conceptual models of society-environment coevolutionary dynamics, structure and dynamics of complex networks, nonlinear dynamics and time series analysis, and application of these methods to climate physics and Earth system analysis.
FutureLab / Science Unit
Contact
14412 Potsdam
ORCID
Co-speaker, COPAN collaboration with PIK's Complexity Science Department (RD4)
Researcher, Planetary Boundaries Research Lab, Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Sweden
Visiting Research Collaborator, High Meadows Environmental Institute, Princeton University, USA
Positions and other professional roles
- since 2024: Deputy lead and research theme lead, PIK's Earth Resilience Science Unit
- since 2020: Visiting Research Collaborator, High Meadows Environmental Institute, Princeton University, USA
- since 2019: Guest researcher, Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University
- since 2019: Co-speaker, COPAN collaboration
- 2019 - 2024: Co-leader, PIK FutureLab on Earth Resilience in the Anthropocene
- 2019 - 2024: Group leader, PIK RD1 Working Group on Whole Earth System Analysis
- 2019 - 2024: PIK research coordinator of ERC advanced grant project ERA led by Prof. Dr. Johan Rockström
- since 2016: Co-lead developer, COPAN:CORE World-Earth modelling framework
- 2017 - 2021: Co-PI, Leibniz Association project DominoES (Domino effects in the Earth system - Can Antarctica tip climate policy?)
- 2013 - 2018: Joint Post-Doc, Stordalen Scholar and EarthDoc at Research Domain for Earth system analysis, Potsdam-Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Germany and Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Sweden within Planetary Boundaries Research Lab
- 2013 - 2018: Co-head of PIK's flagship project COPAN on Coevolutionary Pathways in the Earth system
Education
- 2009 - 2012: PhD (summa cum laude) with Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Jürgen Kurths in theoretical physics at Potsdam-Institute for Climate Impact Research and Department of Physics, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
Topic: "Functional network macroscopes for probing past and present Earth system analysis: Complex hierarchical interactions, tipping points, and beyond" (thesis submitted May 2012) - 2009: Diplom (Grade: with distinction), M.Sc. equivalent in Physics, University of Potsdam, Germany
- 2008 - 2009: Final year project on "Complex networks in the climate system" with Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Jürgen Kurths at Potsdam-Institute for Climate Impact Research and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Potsdam, Germany
- 2006 - 2007: Year of study at University of California San Diego and Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, USA
- 2005 - 2009: Graduate studies of physics, University of Potsdam, Germany, Subsidiary subject: environmental sciences
- 2003 - 2005: Undergraduate studies in physics, University of Bonn, Germany, Subsidiary subject: Astrophysics
International experience
- 2016 - 2019: Several research stays at Princeton University (New Jersey, USA) in the framework of the Princeton-Humboldt Cooperation and Collective Cognition Network (CoCCoN).
- 2013 - present: Frequent research visits within Planetary Boundary Research Initiative, Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Sweden
- 2011 - 2012: Project work on time series analysis of sea level dynamics, funded by German Academic Exchange Service and Portugese Foundation for Science and Technology, University of Porto, Portugal
- 2009 and 2011: Speleological and paleoclimatological field work (Indian Speleological Monitoring Expedition), Cherrapunji, Meghalaya, India
- 2009: Research visit to Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, India
- 2006 - 2007: Research project on optimal parameter estimation exploiting synchonization phenomena with Prof. Dr. Henry D.I. Abarbanel, Institute for Nonlinear Science, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, USA
- 1999: High school exchange program, Apalachicola, Florida, USA
Research Interests
- Dynamics of planetary-scale socio-ecological systems
- Climatic and social tipping elements, their dynamics and interactions
- Decarbonization dynamics and sustainability transformation
- Conceptual models of society-environment coevolutionary dynamics
- Structure and dynamics of complex networks
- Nonlinear dynamics and time series analysis
- Application of these methods to climate physics and Earth system analysis
Full list of publications
Selected publications
S1 J.F. Donges, W. Lucht, J. Heitzig, W. Barfuss, S.E. Cornell, S.J. Lade, and M. Schlüter,
Taxonomies for structuring models for World-Earth system analysis of the Anthropocene: subsystems, their interactions and social-ecological feedback loops,
Earth System Dynamics, in press (2021),
DOI: 10.5194/esd-2018-27.
S2 J.F. Donges*/J. Heitzig*, W. Barfuss, M. Wiedermann, J.A. Kassel, T. Kittel, J.J. Kolb, T. Kolster, F. Müller-Hansen, I.M. Otto, K.B. Zimmerer, and W. Lucht,
Earth system modeling with endogenous and dynamic human societies: the copan:CORE open World-Earth modeling framework,
Earth System Dynamics 11, 395–413 (2020),
DOI: 10.5194/esd-11-395-2020,
* The first two authors share the lead authorship.
S3 J.F. Donges*/I.M. Otto*, R. Cremades, A. Bhowmik, R. Hewitt, W. Lucht, J. Rockström, F. Allerberger, S. Doe, A. Lenferna, M. McCaffrey, N. Morán, D.P. van Vuuren, H.J. Schellnhuber,
Social tipping dynamics for stabilizing Earth’s climate by 2050,
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA (PNAS), (2020),
DOI:
* The first two authors share the lead authorship,
PIK press release, SRC news, New York Times.
S4 W. Steffen, J. Rockström, K. Richardson, T.M. Lenton, C. Folke, D. Liverman, C.P. Summerhayes, A.D. Barnosky, S.E. Cornell, M. Crucifix, J.F. Donges, I. Fetzer, S.J. Lade, M. Scheffer, R. Winkelmann, and H.J. Schellnhuber,
Trajectories of the Earth system in the Anthropocene,
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA (PNAS) (2018),
DOI: , SRC press release.
S5 J.F. Donges*/R. Winkelmann*, W. Lucht, S.E. Cornell, J.G. Dyke, J. Rockström, J. Heitzig, and H.J. Schellnhuber,
Closing the loop: reconnecting human dynamics to Earth system science,
The Anthropocene Review 4(2), 151-157 (2017),
DOI: 10.1177/2053019617725537,
* The first two authors share the lead authorship,
News release (Stockholm Resilience Centre).
S6 J.F. Donges, J. Heitzig, B. Beronov, M. Wiedermann, J. Runge, Q.-Y. Feng, L. Tupikina, V. Stolbova, R.V. Donner, N. Marwan, H.A. Dijkstra, and J. Kurths,
Unified functional network and nonlinear time series analysis for complex systems science: The pyunicorn package,
Chaos 25, 113101 (2015),
DOI: 10.1063/1.4934554,
Preprint: arxiv.org:1507.01571 [physics.data-an],
Press release (American Institute of Physics),
News release (PIK, English and German),
News release (Stockholm Resilience Centre, English).
S7 J.F. Donges, R.V. Donner, M.H. Trauth, N. Marwan, H.J. Schellnhuber and J. Kurths,
Nonlinear detection of paleoclimate-variability transitions possibly related to human evolution,
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA (PNAS) 108, 20422-20427 (2011),
DOI:
Software
Recent conferences co-organized
Current teaching activities
- Lecture series on "Earth system science and Anthropocene", CLEWS Master's programme, Institute for Geoecology, University of Potsdam (summer term 2024), with Johan Rockström, Nico Wunderling and Niklas Kitzmann
Past teaching activities
- Lecture series on "Global sustainability in the Anthropocene", Institute for Geoecology, University of Potsdam (Winter term 2023/24), with Johan Rockström and Nico Wunderling
- Lecture series on "Earth system science and Anthropocene", CLEWS Master's programme, Institute for Geoecology, University of Potsdam (summer term 2023), with Johan Rockström, Nico Wunderling and Niklas Kitzmann
- Lecture series on "Global sustainability in the Anthropocene", Institute for Geoecology, University of Potsdam (Winter term 2022/23), with Johan Rockström and Nico Wunderling
- Lecture series on "Earth system science and Anthropocene", CLEWS Master's programme, Institute for Geoecology, University of Potsdam (summer term 2022), with Johan Rockström, Nico Wunderling and Niklas Kitzmann
- Lecture series on "Global sustainability in the Anthropocene", Institute for Geoecology, University of Potsdam (Winter term 2021/22), with Johan Rockström and Nico Wunderling
- Seminar on "Complex systems perspectives on Earth system dynamics in the Anthropocene", PIK Potsdam and HU Berlin (Winter term 2018/19)
- School on "The Earth as a complex dynamical system: from climate change to sustainability transformation", for German National Academic Foundation (2017 - 2019)
- Lecture series on "Nonlinear Dynamics and Complex Networks in the Earth System", Department of Physics, Humboldt University, Berlin (Winter term 2017/18), with Jürgen Kurths and Reik Donner
- Lecture series on "Nonlinear Dynamics and Complex Networks in the Earth System", Department of Physics, Humboldt University, Berlin (Summer term 2016), with Jürgen Kurths and Reik Donner
- Lecture series on "Nonlinear Dynamics in the Earth System: Climate, Ecology and Socio-Economy", Department of Physics, Humboldt University, Berlin (Winter term 2014/15), with Jürgen Kurths and Reik Donner
- School on complex systems perspectives on anthropogenic climate change, for German National Academic Foundation (2013 - 2015)
- Shortcourse: Complex systems methods for data analysis and modeling in geosciences at EGU2016, Wien (April 2016)
- Shortcourse: Complex systems methods for data analysis and modeling in geosciences at EGU2014, Wien (May 2014)
- Shortcourse: Nonlinear time series analysis at EGU2013, Vienna (April 2013)
- Shortcourse: Nonlinear time series analysis at EGU2012, Vienna (April 2012)
- Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Prize 2019 for statistical physics and climate science, awarded by DFG and BMBF
- Young Elite - Top 40 under 40 in Science and Society Award 2019, by CAPITAL
- Wladimir Peter Köppen Prize 2014, awarded by Cluster of Excellence CliSAP, Hamburg
- Friedrich-Hirzebruch dissertation award (second mention) 2014, awarded by German National Academic Foundation
- Donald L. Turcotte award for outstanding dissertations in nonlinear geophysics, awarded by American Geophysical Union 2013
- PhD scholarship, awarded by German National Academic Foundation 2012
- Falling Walls Lab scholarship, awarded by Falling Walls Foundation and A.T. Kearney 2011
- Award for outstanding graduates in Physics (Physik-Studienpreis), awarded by Physical Society of Berlin and WE-Heraeus Foundation 2010
- Scholarship, Education Abroad Program, University of California 2007
- Fulbright scholarship, German-American Fulbright Commission 2006
- Hölderlin scholarship, German National Academic Foundation and Siemens Management Consulting 2006
- Scholarship, awarded by German National Academic Foundation 2005
- Six federal state level awards (North Rhine-Westphalia), Jugend Forscht and Schüler Experimentieren science competitions (1995 - 2001)
- Presentation at 34th Chaos Communication Congress (34C3), December 2017, Leipzig, Germany: Closing the loop: reconnecting social-technologial dynamics to Earth System science (video),
PIK press release on 34C3. - Me explaining "How Do Climate Change Related Natural Disasters Potentially Increase the Risk of Armed Conflicts?" (video thanks to Latest Thinking).
- Pyunicorn unites. News release in the pyunicorn software by the Stockholm Resilience Centre.
- MOOC on "Planetary boundaries and human opportunities" by Johan Rockström (Stockholm Resilience Centre). Starting Nov 17, 2014.
- Three-dimensional view of a coupled climate network describing atmospheric wind field dynamics based on geopotential height (cross-degree centrality to surface layer, as in Donges et al., EPJ B 84, 2011), thanks to Hanna C. H. Schultz and Norbert Marwan.
- Handdrawn animations by Nora Molkenthin explaining the climate network idea and general network analysis.
- Feature on networks of networks including applications in climate science, Science News 182(6), 18-25, 2012 (Feature).
- Climate dents in humankind´s family tree: new correlations discovered (press release, paper)
- The visualization of climate networks is used as an example on page 8 of the VisMaster book Visual Analytics - Mastering the Information Age (ISBN 978-3-905673-77-7) published in 2010 (PDF download).
- Account of the INSPEMO 2009 expedition in India (related paper on INSPEMO 2009 findings).
Fun fact:
Erdős number: 3 (shortest path distance in collaboration network from JFD via Jobst Heitzig and Marcel Erné to Paul Erdös)
