The work of Lorenz Schwark aims towards the application of organic and isotope geochemical techniques to solve geoscientific and environmental questions, e.g.:

• Can past environmental conditions be reconstructed in detail by organic, inorganic and isotopic geochemical techniques?
• How did the Toarcian Oceanwide Anoxic Event affect marine ecosystems?
• What fuels the deep marine biosphere?
• How is petroleum formed from biogenic precursors and how is it expelled from source rocks and migrates along carrier beds into a reservoir?
• How does organic matter interact with metals and can this form ore deposits?
• What is the role of archaea vs. bacteria in recent and past environments?
• How does organic matter in soils or wetlands form and turn-over and do soils and wetlands act as sink or source of CO2?