On Friday, 20 March at 2 p.m., Christoph Köhn will defend his doctoral thesis, the culmination of many years of research into thunderstorms and related weather phenomena.
"My thesis provides new insights into the atmospheric processes that create and occur in thunderstorms. Among other things, I use a new calculation model to investigate high-energy X- and gamma-ray emissions from thunderstorms. Such high-energy emissions are interesting because they belong to the most energetic phenomena on Earth, even more energetic than radioactive processes, and we lack knowledge on their production as well as their effect on nature and technology," explains Christoph Köhn, who is affiliated with DTU Space.
A doctoral thesis does not come easily. According to Christoph Köhn, it takes time, curiosity, and, not least, self-discipline to reach the finish line.
"The most challenging aspect of writing a doctoral thesis is the lack of a deadline. It is solely up to you to decide when your thesis is ready to be defended. Therefore, it requires a high degree of self-discipline to reach the finish line. However, I am very pleased with the result," says the researcher.
Teaching is a chapter in itself
It is not only research that fills the doctoral thesis. It also contains a section on teaching, including a proposal for a course structure in atmospheric electricity and an audiovisual introduction to discharge physics.
"I have added both parts to my thesis because I want to help educate the next generation of researchers in cloud physics, lightning, and related phenomena. I have already tested both parts in collaboration with students, and the feedback has been very positive," explains Christoph Köhn.
So, what are the plans after the doctoral defence? Christoph Köhn replies:
"There is still a lot to explore when it comes to clouds and lightning, but hopefully my thesis can serve as a solid foundation that other researchers and I can build on."
You can read the full doctoral thesis here.
If you want to watch the doctoral defence, you can find more info via the calendar event.
