Hans Thybo

In 1978, Thybo earned a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in Mathematics and Physics from Aarhus University, Denmark. In 1980, he completed his studies at the Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands. He earned two more degrees from Aarhus University: a Master of Science (MSc) in geophysics in 1982 and a PhD in geology in 1987.

Hans Thybo was a professor of geophysics at the Geological Institute and the Institute for Geography and Geology at the University of Copenhagen for 33 years, as well as at the Centre for Earth Evolution and Dynamics.[3] at University of Oslo. He is a professor at the Eurasia Institute of Earth Sciences[4] at Istanbul Technical University, a 1000 Talents Professor at the School of Earth Sciences at China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, and a Distinguished Professor at SinoProbe Laboratory at Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing. Until a fusion in 2007 he was elected head of department at the Geological Institute and member of the board of Geocenter Copenhagen. He was Professor at Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management[5] until he was dismissed from his chair in 2016 based on false accusations submitted by management of the department.[6] The dismissal was later found illegal and violating employment agreements by an arbitration court and Thybo received a modest economic compensation, but the University of Copenhagen neither re-employed Thybo, nor sanction the employees who had been submitting false accusations against Thybo.[7] The internationally agreed principle of tenure for university professors does not apply to universities in Denmark.[8] Thybo has earlier been associated with Technische Hogeschool Delft and Stanford University.

Hans Thybo has published more than 250 papers in international peer-reviewed journals and has been promoter of more than 40 PhD, 80 MSc and 50 BSc students. He has been leader of several geoscientific research programmes and he has been field expedition leader to e.g. the ice sheet in Greenland, east Africa and Siberia. He initiated several pan-European research programmes with east–west collaboration after the end of the cold war. His research includes the discovery of ca. 2 billion year old plate tectonic structures,[9] the fundamental Mid-Lithospheric Discontinuity[10] of the lithospheric mantle, the presence of molten rocks at the Core-Mantle Discontinuity at ca. 3000 km depth below Siberia,[11] a new model for the formation of the economically important sedimentary basins,[12] Presence of strong seismic anisotropy in cratonic crust with the implication that crust and mantle have been coupled for billions of years,[13] and the presence of a hitherto unknown type of crust in Tibet[14]

Thybo is President of International Lithosphere Program (ILP)[16] og was earlier President for European Geosciences Union, where he also held posts as General Secretary and  President for the Seismology Division. He has been chair for the Danish national committee for ICSU (International Council for Science). He is currently a member of Committee for Freedom and Responsibility in Science[19] of ISC (International Science Council). He is member of and was earlier Vicepresident of Royal Danish Academy of Science and Letters. He has received the 1000 Talents Award from China and he is fellow of Royal Astronomical Society, London and Geological Society of America. He is elected member of Academia Europaea, the Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters and Danish Academy of Natural Sciences,[17] and he has been Danish representative to International Council for Science (ICSU).