Soils are an integral component of every terrestrial ecosystem. As such, they play a fundamental role in the exchange of energy and water as well as carbon and nutrients between ecosystems and their environment. Their sustainable management is crucial for food security and environmental protection as well as for human well-being. ​​

Hey! ​I am a soil biogeochemist with a background on environmental engineering. Combining fieldwork, laboratory analyses, and modeling, I try to understand the mechanisms behind biogeochemical cycles in terrestrial ecosystems and their responses to land use change and management intensification. In simple terms, I try to make agriculture "greener" by reducing its environmental footprint.
​- Antonios

Teufelsmauer in northern Harz, Germany. © Antonios Apostolakis

View of Garte-Süd field trial during ploughing in August 2024. The field trial is located in the Experimental Farm Reinshof of the University of Göttingen. © Antonios Apostolakis

Currently, I work as a researcher and lecturer at the Division of Soil Physics of the University of Göttingen in Germany. I teach in courses on soil biogeochemistry and plant-soil hydrology and I contrubute to research projects on carbon and nitrogen cycling in agricultural soils with a focus on greenhouse gas turnover. I am responsible for the long-term field trial Garte-Süd, which is located in Göttingen and compares conventional tillage vs. reduced tillage since 1970. In addition to tillage practices, I also study the effects of rainfall reduction, applied with rainout shelters, on crop yield and greenhouse gas fluxes.