Katja Heister is the head of the GeoLab since September 2015. Before, she was assistant professor in soil science at the Technische Universität München in Freising-Weihenstephan, where she is still associated as lecturer.

She is responsible for the operation of the GeoLab. This includes the supervision of the daily operational processes as well as the development of a longtime vision of the laboratory in close collaboration with the scientists and other stakeholders. Together with the operational manager Bernadette Marchand, she forms the lab management.