Robert Frei

CV

Personal data
Name: Robert Frei
Date and Place of Birth: 20 March 1961, Switzerland

Education
1998: PD Dr. sc. Nat. Habilitation “venia docendi” for geochronology, University of Bern, Switzerland
1992–1996: Post Doc at University of Bern, Switzerland
1992: PhD thesis, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zürich, Switzerland. Degree: Dr. sc. nat.
1988–1989: Military service and Officer School – Prime Lieutenant
1987–1992: PhD study, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zürich, Switzerland
1987: Diploma thesis, ETH Zürich, Switzerland.
1982–1987: Diploma study, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zürich, Switzerland

Professional career
1999–  Professor of Geochemistry, Dept. of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen
1997–1999: Laboratory Manager, Geological Institute, University of Copenhagen
1993–1997: Assistant Professor,Min.-Petro. Institute, University of Bern, Switzerland
1991: Exchange Graduate, Okayama University, Misasa, Japan
1986–1987: Statistics Advisor and Geochemist, TERRACONSULT AG, Zürich, Switzerland

4. Selected funded research (>DKK 500’000)

• Independent Research Fund Denmark, DFF level 1, 2018-2021; DKK 2.6 million; “Evaluation of cadmium isotopes as tracers of marine bioproductivity”
• European Commission, Innovative Training Network, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions in Horizon 2020, 2015-2018, “BaseLine-Earth”, Co-applicant, WP leader, Euro 3.75 million, own share  DKK 1.8 million.
• Carlsberg Foundation, 2018, DKK 2.0 million; Application for the purchase of a state-of-the art LA-ICP-MS
• Danish Council for Independent Research, DFF level 2, 2015-2018; DKK 6.2 million; ”Use of redox sensitive isotope tracers in marine and continental rock records to trace paleoenvironmental and climatic changes during the late Neoproterozoic-Cambrian transition”
• Carlsberg Foundation, 2015, DKK 1.2 million; “Chromium isotopes in Mesoproterozoic carbonates: A novel proxy for assessing the history of Earth surface oxygenation”
• Carlsberg Foundation, 2012; DKK 2.5 million “Application for the purchase and replacement of thermal ionization mass spectrometer”
• Danish Council for Independent Research, FNU Big frame project, 2012-2014; DKK 5.7 million; “Development and application of chromium stable isotopes in carbonates to trace climatic fluctuations during major oxygenation periods in Earth’s history”
• Danish Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation FNU Big frame project, 2008-2010; DKK 3.5 million; “Chromium (Cr)-molybdenum (Mo) and cerium (Ce) stable isotope tracing of paleo-redox processes related to oxygenation events in Earth´s history”
• Carlsberg Foundation, 2010; DKK 500’000; “Application for the purchase of an ICP-OES facility”
• Carlsberg Foundation, 2005; DKK 800’000; “Application for a TIMS for isotope-geochemical research”
• Danish National Research Foundation, 2005-2010; Establishment of a research center of excellence “Nordic Center for Earth Evolution, NordCEE”; DKK 88 million (DKK 29 million to University of Copenhagen, co-founder)
• Danish Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation, FNU instrument center, 2005; DKK 1.5 million; “Application for a new generation TIMS to conduct isotope-geochemical research”
• SNF (Danish National Research Foundation) frame project; 2001-2007; DKK 1.8 million; “A multi-isotopic and trace element investigation of greenstone belts”

 

5. Honors and awards

Since 2004: Member of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters

6. Publication statistics & students supervision

Peer-reviewed journal articles (Web of Science, ISI-registered):  251; Sum of times cites: 7936 (7348 without self-citations); H-index: 47; 16 PhD (each 3 years); 5 Post Doc (each 2 years)

Short presentation

I am a Professor of Geochemistry at the Dept. of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen (KU), Denmark, since 1997. After conducting my MSc and PhD studies at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zürich, I worked as an assistant professor at University of Bern for 5 years. After a two years period as laboratory manager of the Danish Center for Isotope Geology, I then took the position of an ordinary professor at KU. I am a member of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters since 2004, and published over 250 ISI registered articles, currently setting an H-index to 50. My interests range from paleoclimate research using a variety of traditional and non-traditional isotope systems, to geochronology, environmental geochemistry, magmatic-metamorphic petrology and ore deposits research. I am lately also interested in provenance and mobility studies of prehistoric humans and so entered the field of archaeometry.