Eichstätter geographer receives award for research on Spain and Africa

Eichstätter geographer receives award for research on Spain and Africa

On October 10, 2025, the geographer and former professor Dominik Faust was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt. The suggestion came from Prof. Dr. Fernando Diaz del Olmo, head of the Department of Geography at the University of Seville. The application was supported by Eichstätt's district administrator Anetsberger, who, as Faust's former student, wrote a letter of recommendation. The award recognizes Faust's extensive achievements and commitment to geography.

Faust has had close contact with the University of Seville since 1989, where he gave lectures, seminars and doctoral courses. At the ceremony, Diaz del Olmo particularly emphasized his intensive engagement with the Iberian Peninsula, the Canary Islands and the entire Spanish region. During his career, Faust organized numerous field and laboratory events at conferences in Seville and supervised many graduate students and staff, making a lasting impact on geographical research.

Research and priorities

Dominik Faust, a native of Hesse, studied physical geography, soil science and botany at the University of Frankfurt. After completing his doctorate in 1989 and his habilitation in 1994, he was appointed to the chair of physical geography at the TU Dresden in 2001. There he worked as director of the Institute of Geography until his retirement in 2020. During his career he was responsible for leading a total of 26 DFG research projects and, in retirement, remains leader of three projects dealing with sedimentation patterns in Lanzarote and paleoenvironmental trends in Andalusia.

His research areas are complex and include, among other things, geomorphology, soil geography, geoarchaeology and paleoenvironmental research. The focus of the current projects highlights the chronology of fluvial erosion in the Baza/Guadix region, the sedimentological processes and the development of landscapes, especially in the Mediterranean region. Faust's work is not only local, but also extends to West Africa, Georgia, Armenia, Saxony and Bavaria, demonstrating his extensive geographical understanding.

Academic commitment

Dominik Faust is actively involved in various scientific communities. He is a member of the German Soil Science Society (DBG), the German and International Quaternary Association (DEUQUA and INQUA) and the Spanish Quaternary Association (AEQUA). Since 2006, Faust has taken on a leading role as second chairman of the Geomorphology Working Group of the German Society for Geography (DGfG) and as co-editor of the magazine “Quaternary International”.

In addition, he has worked on numerous publications and book chapters dealing with archival and process research as well as geoarchaeology. His commitment to the scientific community and his research activities demonstrate the high status he holds in geography. The honorary doctorate is further evidence of his remarkable career and his influence on geography, particularly with regard to the Mediterranean region.