Thorsten Kleine

Thorsten Kleine. He is a German cosmochemist and professor whose research has fundamentally advanced understanding of the timing and processes of planetary formation in the early Solar System. His precise measurements of isotopic systems, particularly involving hafnium-tungsten dating, have provided critical constraints on the accretion and differentiation of terrestrial planets, asteroids, and the Moon. Kleine's work bridges geochemistry, planetary science, and astrophysics, establishing key chronologies for the first few million years of our solar system's history.

Biography

Thorsten Kleine was born in 1973 in Germany and developed an early interest in the natural sciences. He pursued his higher education in geology and mineralogy at the University of Münster, where he completed his doctoral studies under the supervision of renowned geochemist Klaus Mezger. Following his PhD, he secured a prestigious postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Chicago, working within the influential research group of Nicolas Dauphas and alongside other leading figures in the field like Andrew M. Davis. This formative period at a major center for cosmochemistry and presolar grains research solidified his expertise in high-precision mass spectrometry. In 2007, he returned to the University of Münster as a professor before accepting a position as Full Professor of Planetary Geochemistry at the Institute of Geochemistry and Petrology at ETH Zurich in 2015, where he continues to lead a prominent research group.

Scientific career

Kleine's scientific career is distinguished by his leadership at premier academic institutions and his editorial roles for major scientific journals. After his postdoctoral work at the University of Chicago, he established his own research laboratory at the University of Münster, quickly gaining recognition for innovative work on meteorite analysis. His appointment to a full professorship at ETH Zurich placed him within one of the world's leading centers for Earth sciences and engineering. Throughout his career, Kleine has held influential editorial positions for publications such as Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta and Earth and Planetary Science Letters, shaping the discourse in geochemistry and planetary science. He actively contributes to several international research consortia and has served on advisory panels for organizations like the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft and the European Space Agency.

Research and contributions

Kleine's research contributions are centered on using short-lived radionuclide systems to date events in the nascent Solar System. He is particularly renowned for his refined applications of the hafnium-tungsten chronometer, which he has used to determine the timescales of core formation in planetesimals and planets like Mars and Earth. His work was instrumental in showing that the giant impact that formed the Moon occurred within the first 60 million years of the Solar System. Furthermore, his investigations into isotopic anomalies in meteorites, such as those from the asteroid Vesta, have provided key insights into the distribution of materials and the sequence of accretion in the protoplanetary disk. These findings have profound implications for models of planetary accretion and the early dynamical evolution of the inner Solar System.

Awards and honors

In recognition of his groundbreaking work, Thorsten Kleine has received numerous prestigious awards and honors. He was awarded the F. W. Clarke Medal by the Geochemical Society in 2012 for his early career contributions to geochemistry. He was elected a Fellow of the Geological Society of America in 2016. A significant honor came in 2017 with his election to the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, one of the oldest and most esteemed scientific academies in the world. He is also a recipient of the highly competitive Starting Grant and later a Consolidator Grant from the European Research Council, funding his ambitious research programs in planetary chronology.

Selected publications

* Kleine, T., et al. (2002). Rapid accretion and early core formation on asteroids and the terrestrial planets from Hf-W chronometry. Nature. * Kleine, T., et al. (2005). Early core formation in asteroids and late accretion of chondrite parent bodies: Evidence from 182Hf-182W in CAIs, metal-rich chondrites, and iron meteorites. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. * Kleine, T., et al. (2009). Hf-W chronology of the accretion and early evolution of asteroids and terrestrial planets. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. * Kruijer, T.S., Kleine, T., et al. (2014). Protracted core formation and rapid accretion of protoplanets. Science. * Kleine, T., & Walker, R.J. (2017). Tungsten isotopes in planetary science and cosmochemistry. Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry.

Category:German geochemists Category:Cosmochemists Category:ETH Zurich faculty Category:Members of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina Category:1973 births Category:Living people