The MC³ 4 Earth Center is dedicated to redefining the frontiers in modeling, analyzing, and predicting the complex dynamics of Earth’s land surfaces and their interactions within the broader climate system. We emphasize the integration of process-based models, where applicable, with the transformative potential of AI to extract insights from advanced Earth observations.
Background
The Earth’s land surfaces is an area vital for the future of humanity and we want to improve our understanding. It is historically challenged by limited data and models, this field is now ripe for a transformative leap, thanks to breakthroughs in observational technologies, computational power, and most notably, Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Aims of the Center
The Center synergizes the distinct expertise of world-class institutions across continents, setting new standards in Earth system modeling, analysis, and scientific education. Its highlights include: 1) Leveraging AI for in-depth integration of diverse Earth observation and modeling for improved Earth system understanding; Developing new models for essential Earth cycles like water, energy, carbon, and nutrients; 2) Crafting advanced computational models to maximize new hardware capabilities; 3) Integrating diverse data sources for a holistic understanding of greenhouse gas dynamics.
Transformative impact
The MC³ 4 Earth Center represents an extraordinary opportunity to be part of a crucial shift in our understanding and stewardship of the Earth. AI and innovative scientific collaboration will unveil crucial insights into our planet’s land surfaces. This endeavor not only promises to reshape research and education in Earth sciences but also holds the potential to guide global policies and actions towards a sustainable future. It’s an investment in the health and wellbeing of our planet, benefitting current and future generations.
Research focus
The research of the Center pursues a hybrid approach that combines massive, AI-enabled harnessing of data with mechanistic modeling, to achieve advances in analyzing, modeling and predicting Earth’s land surface and understanding its feedbacks to the Earth system on daily to centennial time-scales.
Meet our team
MC3 4 Earth Center is home to a community of world-renowned experts, excellent doctoral and postdoctoral researchers and up-and-coming students and interns.
Learn about our research
The research of the Center pursues a hybrid approach in analyzing, modeling and predicting Earth’s land surface.
Activities and opportunities
The Center synergizes the distinct expertise of world-class institutions across continents, setting unprecedented standards in Earth system modeling, analysis, and scientific education to develop a next generation of scientists. We offer in-person training programs for early career scientists, hands-on summers schools and hackathons, regular in-person and virtual meetings for the members, fellowships and research stays at partner institutions, as well as virtual collaboration tools for its members.
Doctoral research
We are proud to be home to an excellent community of doctoral researchers who are pushing the boundaries of knowledge. These researchers are not only integral to the scientific and intellectual life of the Center but also represent the next generation of thought leaders, innovators, and changemakers.
Students and trainees
The Center regularly offers opportunities for students to write their Bachelor’s and Master’s theses or do their internship research in collaboration with our research teams. We welcome students from a variety of neighboring disciplines of the Center.
Thesis and internship research topics
MC3 4 Earth Center regularly offers opportunities to write a Bachelor’s and Master’s thesis or pursue an internship project within the research profile of the Center.
Partners
The complementary expertise of all partner institutions is a worldwide unique research and education program, which will set new standards in Earth system modeling and analysis and in the training of the next generation of scientists.
The center builds on unique and complementary scientific knowledge of the involved research institutions and associated scientists, bringing together world-class expertise in Earth system science, data science, and machine learning research, with a common passion to understand the spheres of the Earth as complex and interacting systems.
Network
The members of the Center profit from a large international network of leaders in Earth System Science.
Max Planck Centers
Our center is one of 19 Max Planck Centers in 11 countries worldwide (as of July 2025). Max Planck Centers are distributed centers for which our scientists partner up with first-class international institutions in order to share knowledge, experience and expertise. They create added value by collaborating on scientific projects, training early career scientist and sharing existing infrastructure.
The centers are a key element to strengthen the international cooperation efforts of the Max Planck Society and enable scientist to gain knowledge in pioneering research areas.
Our center has a dedicated collaboration with the Max Planck ETH Center for Learning systems.
The MC³ 4 Earth Center is a collaboration of the Max-Planck Institute of Biogeochemistry, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemistry, California Institute of Technology, Carnegie Institution for Science (Department of Global Ecology) and Columbia University. It's coordination and Max-Planck research is funded by the Max Planck Förderstiftung.
Contact: Dora Kelemen (dkelemen@bgc-jena.mpg.de)
