A life at interfaces

Anyone who wants to know how to manage a large family and pursue a scientific career at the same time should ask Dr. Christine Putnis how it is done. The Australian geochemist, who works as an adjunct professor at the Institute of Mineralogy, calmly gives a short answer: “Just get on with it!” But this laconic motto conceals a long, convoluted history: no straightforward success from start to finishing line, but hard-won compromises, setbacks and – again and again – renewed courage.

As a young woman, Christine Putnis already had a burning desire to understand the hidden stories of the Earth: what rocks were there below the surface? What are the forces that form continents? That she would become one of the leading international experts on crystal growth and dissolution was something she would hardly have imagined after graduating from the University of Newcastle in Australia.

In the early 1970s she and her husband, likewise a scientist, moved to England, where she first worked as a chemistry teacher at state schools in London and Cambridge. “Originally, we only wanted to go there for a holiday – and ended up staying for 25 years,” she recounts with a smile which bears testimony to the surprising twists and turns that life can take. During this time, her family grew – with six children being born. “It was an exciting time, but stressful too,” she says. “Luckily, I had a reliable network of friends. I wouldn’t have managed otherwise.”

At the end of the 1980s Christine Putnis was engaged as a research associate at the University of Cambridge. However, the job was way below her potential. “At that time, there were hardly any women in my field of research – nor were they really wanted there. There was no support or recognition for them,” she says. Nevertheless, she found a way of combining what was most important to her: scientific curiosity and her family.

When her husband was appointed to a professorship at the University of Münster in 1995, new horizons opened up for her: she got the opportunity to do a doctorate in mineralogy. This led to some pioneering work: studies on nanoscale processes at mineral surfaces which attracted international attention. Her most important instrument is the atomic force microscope which she uses to observe how minerals grow, dissolve and are transformed in aqueous environments.

Researchers all over the world seek contact with Christine Putnis because her work on fluid chemistry – i.e. on how organic molecules and reaction kinetics control mineral transformations – deliver fundamental insights. These insights are important not only for science but also for environmental issues and for our understanding of the Earth’s history. Her career was therefore less a straight line than a determined, dogged climb upwards: resistances led to findings, obstacles led to new paths.

For her achievements, the Australian scientist was awarded the Werner Stumm Medal – a distinction she had not expected. “There are so many outstanding scientists. That I of all people should receive this award was a big surprise,” she says, visibly touched and self-effacing. Modesty is part of her nature. But there is also quiet pride in her eyes when she talks about her six children and 16 grandchildren, her husband, her twin sister and her many nieces and nephews. “ Most of my family live in England and Australia. My husband and I try to visit them as often as possible.”

Because she loves being with people, she has in Münster her – as she calls it – “party house” in the Kreuzviertel which offers space not only for celebrations and festivities but also for lively scientific discussions. Undergraduates, PhD students and visiting academics regularly visit the Putnis couple to cook and discuss together.  “These discussions are the foundation of successful scientific work,” she stresses. She hopes that her research and her career can be an example to young people.

Author: Dr. Kathrin Kottke

This article is from the brochure "Twelve months, twelve people", published in March 2026.

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