Prestigious Award to Two UiB Researchers

"It is a great pleasure to congratulate the two outstanding researchers, Tom Langbehn and Leonardo Muniz Pichel, as recipients of the TMF Starting Grant. Their projects will contribute to important knowledge in both biological and geological sciences, and we look forward to following their exciting research in the years to come," says UiB Rector Margareth Hagen.

Salt Basins and Energy Storage

Leonardo Muniz Pichel at the Department of Earth Science has received a TMF Starting Grant for the project «Salt Solutions». The project aims to understand how salt basins are formed and how they behave. This includes studying how different types of rocks and sediments within the salt basins affect the movement of salt and the structure of salt formations.

"I am humbled and greatly honored to receive the prestigious TMF Starting Grant. Receiving this support is a recognition of my research and dedication. It gives me extra motivation to succeed in my dream of establishing myself as a world-leading geoscientist in structural geology and basin studies at UiB. I would like to extend a big thank you to Trond Mohn Research Foundation, the Department of Earth Science, and everyone who contributed to making this possible. A special thanks to my PhD and Post-doc supervisors, my scientific collaborators, my students – and most importantly, my family and wife," says Pichel.

He plans to use the funds to kickstart a research group at the Department of Earth Science and UiB. The funds will allow him to hire two young talented individuals to pursue their PhD studies within this project, as well as a research assistant.

«Salt Solutions» is a new, ambitious, and interdisciplinary project. It will be the first project to combine geophysical and geological data with highly detailed 2D and 3D computer models to study salt movements on small to large scales.

"By combining data from boreholes with advanced data models, we can simulate how salt and other materials in the basins move and change over time. This will give us deeper insights into the dynamics and development of salt basins, which is important for energy storage and CO2 storage. This has direct applications for the energy transition in the green shift – from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources," says Pichel.

This is timely research – in an era marked by rapidly increasing interest in using salt for hydrogen and methane storage, exploiting natural hydrogen, and geothermal energy – of high societal relevance.

"It will position UiB and the Department of Earth Science at the forefront of scientific development in the use of the subsurface for sustainable energy storage and greenhouse gas storage, contributing to reducing society's impact on climate change and improving the chances of achieving the necessary goal of net zero emissions. This is important for the offshore renewable chain in Norway, Europe, and globally," says Pichel.

Food-conveyor belts in the Ocean

"Receiving the TMF Starting Grant means that, for the first time in my career, I have a long-term horizon to plan and develop my research. This grant allows me to pursue my own line of research and build a research team around me, which is extremely exciting. On a personal level, it's a significant vote of confidence in my work. Receiving positive reviews from multiple international experts shows that we are onto something promising," says researcher Tom Langbehn at the Department of Biological Sciences.

He has received the TMF Starting Grant for the project «Systematically rethinking advection and cross-ecosystem subsidies» which aims to better understand how prey transported by ocean currents from the open ocean to shelves and coasts creates feeding hotspots. 

Tom explains that he has spent the past year building momentum and plans to use the TMF grant to maintain this progress.

Now begins the work of establishing a dynamic and interdisciplinary research team – bridging modelers, theoretical ecologists, fisheries biologists, taxonomists, and oceanographers – which he will lead at the Department of Biosciences. For 2026, he has planned an 11-day research cruise to the Faroe Islands with the second largest research vessel in the Norwegian research fleet, RV GO Sars

"One of my goals is to change the perception that the open ocean is a barren desert. I hope to contribute to a better process understanding by uncovering 'hidden' trophic interactions, such as how a constant stream of prey brought in by currents may allow organisms to survive on jellyfish, which have low energy value. I envision that the research will inspire richer thinking within the field," says Tom Langbehn.

In parts this project developed from questions that emerged during the annual research cruise with the master's course BIO325 in fisheries and marine biology, where Langbehn has taught. «Systematically rethinking advection and cross-ecosystem subsidies» aims to identify the mechanisms that determine when and where prey from the open ocean become available to predators. He will use simulation modelling map these "feeding hotspots" across the North Atlantic and predict how transported biomass (organisms moved by ocean currents) affects secondary production, life-histories strategies, and species distributions in the areas where they end up.

"This work aims to fill a significant knowledge gap. We know little to nothing about how the immense biomass of mesopelagic species in the open ocean is transported by currents and where that biomass enters food chains. By addressing these unknowns, my research will provide fundamental knowledge that is also relevant for applied aspects, such as adapting management plans for sustainable resource utilization, predicting carbon sequestration in the deep ocean, and forecasting future species distributions," says Langbehn.

Potential for Leading International Research

"UiB has nominated very strong candidates for this year's application round, and we are pleased to award two TMF Starting Grants this year," says Nicholas K. Nunn, Chief Executive Officer of the Trond Mohn Research Foundation.

He adds that the project leaders demonstrate high competence and academic maturity through the presentation of their research questions.

"I see great potential here for new and relevant research at a high international level. We congratulate the candidates and UiB on the award," says Nunn.

UiB Rector Margareth Hagen is pleased with the good and long-standing collaboration with the foundation, which was called the Trond Mohn Foundation until February this year. It is now named the Trond Mohn Research Foundation. Since its establishment in 2004, the foundation has made significant contributions to the university, including thematic initiatives, infrastructure, and the recruitment of strong young researchers.