Jana Eichel

GM Geomorphology

The 2025 Division Outstanding Early Career Scientist Award is awarded to Jana Eichel for outstanding and innovative work on the feedbacks between plants and geomorphic processes in high mountains.

Jana Eichel has made groundbreaking advances in the field of biogeomorphology and our understanding of feedbacks and interactions among plants, geomorphic processes, and climate. Eichel’s work uniquely combines state-of-the-art techniques from geomorphology and ecology with strong conceptual and systemic thinking across spatial scales from plant traits to landscapes across mountain regions. She first broke new ground during her PhD by transferring river biogeomorphic concepts and approaches to glacier forelands. Her work gave novel insights into how climate change radically changes the face of the world’s mountain ranges, shifts ecosystems and intensifies the hazards of steep slope processes in deglaciating areas. Eichel has developed multiple new concepts in biogeomorphology, including the 'biogeomorphic feedback window' concept, which is now a key biogeomorphic concept used widely in other geomorphic contexts, and the 'biogeomorphic balance', which demonstrates the existence of biogeomorphic feedbacks and shows the urgency of collaboration between geomorphologists and ecologists to better assess and address climate change impacts. In addition to her scientific achievements, Eichel is recognised as an excellent teacher, communicator, mentor, and an active contributor to the geomorphology community. For her innovative and impactful contributions, Jana Eichel is richly deserving of the 2025 EGU Outstanding Early Career Scientists Award for the Geomorphology Division.