Matthias, please introduce yourself.
My name is Matthias Scheiter and I am a postdoc working on coupled ice sheet and subglacial hydrology modelling applied to the Antarctic Ice Sheet.
Tell us about your professional and academic career before becoming part of the OCEAN ICE community.
Before moving to Brussels as part of the OCEAN ICE project, I spent 6 years in Australia. First I did my PhD at the Australian National University, developing new methods at the intersection of Bayesian Inference and Generative Deep Learning. Then I joined the University of Tasmania for my first postdoc, where my work focused on subglacial investigations integrating geophysical, glaciological, and statistical methods. Prior to my PhD, I studied the glaciers of the Southern Andes, and so being back in ice sheet modelling has been a bit like coming back to the start of my research journey.
What do you do within OCEAN ICE?
I am part of Work Package 4, where we quantify future sea level contributions from the Antarctic Ice Sheet over the next three centuries. My work specifically investigates the role of subglacial hydrology and how its inclusion into ice sheet models affects ice dynamics and future mass loss. We use a simplified (hence fast) subglacial hydrology model that is fully coupled to our ice sheet model Kori. Current investigations include the comparison to outputs from higher-complexity subglacial hydrology models (e.g. GLADS); the impact of different subglacial geological conditions in conjunction with hydrology; and the future evolution of different Antarctic drainage basins, including the Ronne-Filchner Basin.
What have you enjoyed about OCEAN ICE so far?
Since joining the project in September 2025, I have really been enjoying our regular WP4 catch ups which are always in a relaxed atmosphere and lead to interesting scientific discussions. I also look forward to the final project meeting in September in Cambridge, where I will have a chance to meet colleagues from the other work packages and find out more about all the research happening in OCEAN ICE.
Tell us about a skill or trait unique to you that you would like to share?
I have a bit of a nomadic streak and enjoy exploring and learning new things.
Stay tuned on our social media channels (X, Mastodon, LinkedIn and Bluesky) for more of the series of OCEAN ICE 'Researcher in the Spotlight' articles.