Having been awarded a prestigious Starting Grant from the European Research Council (2013-2018), he returned to Germany and, in 2016, assumed leadership of the Permafrost Research Division at the Alfred Wegener Institute in Potsdam. His research currently focuses on the role of permafrost in the Earth system and the effects of climate change on land surfaces in the high northern latitudes.

Grosse is the author of over 130 peer-reviewed publications, has participated in more than 30 Arctic expeditions, and is frequently invited by the media and political decision-makers to serve as a consulting expert on permafrost-related issues.