Meet Our Speakers 

Helen Robinson

Helen is the Regional Manager in Africa for the International Geothermal Association (IGA). Helen has almost 12 years of experience working in the geothermal sector. Her primary focus has been geothermal across sub-Saharan Africa and has worked on projects in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Zambia, and South Africa.

She is technically qualified as a Hydrogeologist and in addition to her role with the IGA, she is the Director of Aquarius Resources, where, in addition to working on geothermal projects, she also works on groundwater related projects in mining, hazards, environment, and the humanitarian water sector.

Recently, she has also joined the UNDP as a freelance consultant with the Crisis Bureau and Global Policy Network.

Gregor Götzl

Gregor Götzl studied geophysics at the University of Vienna and headed the geothermal energy department at the Geological Survey of Austria / GeoSphere Austria from 2004 to 2022. Since May 2023, Gregor Götzl has been responsible for the development of geothermal heating systems at EVN Wärme GmbH. Gregor Götzl is a founding member of the Austrian Geothermal Association and served as its secretary during the 2021-2023 term.

David Bruhn

Prof. David Bruhn completed his PhD at ETH Zurich and then worked at GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences. He is currently leading the Global Georesources Competence Center at  Fraunhofer IEG, and a Professor of Geothermal Engineering at TU Delft. His research spans geothermal reservoir processes, rock deformation and fluid flow, stimulation and permeability enhancement, and the broader development of geothermal systems for sustainable heat supply. Throughout his career, he has combined experimental, numerical, and field-based approaches to better understand how geothermal reservoirs behave and how they can be used more efficiently and safely". He has been a long-standing supporter of the European Geothermal PhD Days, having been involved since the very first EGPD in Potsdam in 2010, which emerged from the EERA Joint Programme Geothermal.