James Kirchner receives King Carl XVI Gustaf Professorship in Environmental Sciences

Every year, the Carl XVI Gustaf Foundation for Science, Technology and the Environment, chaired by King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, awards a visiting professorship in environmental sciences to a distinguished researcher from abroad. James Kirchner has been awarded this honour for the year 2025/26.

Kirchner was Professor of Physics of Environmental Systems at the Department of Environmental Systems Science (D-USYS) at ETH Zurich from 2007 to August 2024. He was also Director of the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) until 2012. Since his retirement, he has continued to be involved in the scientific life of WSL as a Senior Scientist in the Mountain Hydrology and Mass Movements research unit. Until August 2024 he was also professor of the physics of environmental systems at ETH Zurich.

Between hydrology, forest growth and climate change

Kirchner's main interests include the hydrology of mountainous and forested landscapes. His research investigates how changes in precipitation and snowmelt affect groundwater recharge and how changing climate and precipitation conditions influence the availability of water for streams, lakes, and forests. It is hoped that Kirchner's methodological expertise in analysing hydrological data will help in deciphering the mechanisms behind the observed decline in boreal forest growth. The conditions for forests and forestry in a changing climate are a socially and environmentally relevant area of research, particularly in a densely forested country like Sweden.

Kirchner's host institute will be the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Umeå. Dividing his time between WSL and Umeå, he hopes to strengthen scientific collaborations between WSL and Scandinavian colleagues.