diff --git a/env/CONFIG b/env/CONFIG
index 52057526a..4407f4d2b 100644
--- a/env/CONFIG
+++ b/env/CONFIG
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 # "set"-syntax needed only for tcsh (but works with bash and zsh)
-set DAMASK_NUM_THREADS  = 4
+set OMP_NUM_THREADS  = 4
 
-set MSC_ROOT            = /opt/msc
-set MSC_VERSION         = 2020
+set MSC_ROOT         = /opt/msc
+set MSC_VERSION      = 2020
diff --git a/env/DAMASK.csh b/env/DAMASK.csh
index cc61449d2..58f2a150e 100644
--- a/env/DAMASK.csh
+++ b/env/DAMASK.csh
@@ -10,8 +10,8 @@ source $ENV_ROOT/CONFIG
 set path = ($DAMASK_ROOT/bin $path)
 
 set SOLVER=`which DAMASK_grid`
-if ( "x$DAMASK_NUM_THREADS" == "x" ) then
-  set DAMASK_NUM_THREADS=1
+if ( "x$OMP_NUM_THREADS" == "x" ) then
+  set OMP_NUM_THREADS=1
 endif
 
 # currently, there is no information that unlimited stack size causes problems
@@ -38,13 +38,13 @@ if ( $?prompt ) then
     echo "MSC.Marc/Mentat    $MSC_ROOT"
   endif
   echo
-  echo "Multithreading     DAMASK_NUM_THREADS=$DAMASK_NUM_THREADS"
+  echo "Multithreading     OMP_NUM_THREADS=$OMP_NUM_THREADS"
   echo `limit datasize`
   echo `limit stacksize`
   echo
 endif
 
-setenv DAMASK_NUM_THREADS $DAMASK_NUM_THREADS
+setenv OMP_NUM_THREADS $OMP_NUM_THREADS
 if ( ! $?PYTHONPATH ) then
   setenv PYTHONPATH $DAMASK_ROOT/python
 else
diff --git a/env/DAMASK.sh b/env/DAMASK.sh
index 2151e842b..24a2c2de3 100644
--- a/env/DAMASK.sh
+++ b/env/DAMASK.sh
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ PATH=${DAMASK_ROOT}/bin:$PATH
 SOLVER=$(type -p DAMASK_grid || true 2>/dev/null)
 [ "x$SOLVER" == "x" ] && SOLVER=$(blink 'Not found!')
 
-[ "x$DAMASK_NUM_THREADS" == "x" ] && DAMASK_NUM_THREADS=1
+[ "x$OMP_NUM_THREADS" == "x" ] && OMP_NUM_THREADS=1
 
 # currently, there is no information that unlimited stack size causes problems
 # still, http://software.intel.com/en-us/forums/topic/501500 suggest to fix it
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ if [ ! -z "$PS1" ]; then
   echo -n "MSC.Marc/Mentat    "
   [ -d $MSC_ROOT ] && echo $MSC_ROOT || blink $MSC_ROOT
   echo
-  echo "Multithreading     DAMASK_NUM_THREADS=$DAMASK_NUM_THREADS"
+  echo "Multithreading     OMP_NUM_THREADS=$OMP_NUM_THREADS"
   echo -n "heap  size         "
    [[ "$(ulimit -d)" == "unlimited" ]] \
    && echo "unlimited" \
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ if [ ! -z "$PS1" ]; then
   echo
 fi
 
-export DAMASK_NUM_THREADS
+export OMP_NUM_THREADS
 export PYTHONPATH=$DAMASK_ROOT/python:$PYTHONPATH
 
 for var in BASE STAT SOLVER BRANCH; do
diff --git a/env/DAMASK.zsh b/env/DAMASK.zsh
index 377aa5304..e12a5248a 100644
--- a/env/DAMASK.zsh
+++ b/env/DAMASK.zsh
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ PATH=${DAMASK_ROOT}/bin:$PATH
 SOLVER=$(which DAMASK_grid || true 2>/dev/null)
 [[ "x$SOLVER" == "x" ]] && SOLVER=$(blink 'Not found!')
 
-[[ "x$DAMASK_NUM_THREADS" == "x" ]] && DAMASK_NUM_THREADS=1
+[[ "x$OMP_NUM_THREADS" == "x" ]] && OMP_NUM_THREADS=1
 
 # currently, there is no information that unlimited stack size causes problems
 # still, http://software.intel.com/en-us/forums/topic/501500 suggest to fix it
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ if [ ! -z "$PS1" ]; then
   echo -n "MSC.Marc/Mentat    "
   [ -d $MSC_ROOT ] && echo $MSC_ROOT || blink $MSC_ROOT
   echo
-  echo "Multithreading     DAMASK_NUM_THREADS=$DAMASK_NUM_THREADS"
+  echo "Multithreading     OMP_NUM_THREADS=$OMP_NUM_THREADS"
   echo -n "heap  size         "
    [[ "$(ulimit -d)" == "unlimited" ]] \
    && echo "unlimited" \
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ if [ ! -z "$PS1" ]; then
   echo
 fi
 
-export DAMASK_NUM_THREADS
+export OMP_NUM_THREADS
 export PYTHONPATH=$DAMASK_ROOT/python:$PYTHONPATH
 
 for var in SOLVER BRANCH; do
diff --git a/python/damask/_environment.py b/python/damask/_environment.py
index 7d93b83e0..30110e7ae 100644
--- a/python/damask/_environment.py
+++ b/python/damask/_environment.py
@@ -26,10 +26,7 @@ class Environment:
     @property
     def options(self):
         options = {}
-        for item in ['DAMASK_NUM_THREADS',
-                     'MSC_ROOT',
-                     'MSC_VERSION',
-                     ]:
+        for item in ['MSC_ROOT', 'MSC_VERSION']:
             options[item] = os.environ[item] if item in os.environ else None
 
         return options
diff --git a/python/damask/_grid.py b/python/damask/_grid.py
index 0edec05f9..2d3e59b37 100644
--- a/python/damask/_grid.py
+++ b/python/damask/_grid.py
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import copy
 import multiprocessing as mp
 from functools import partial
-from os import path
+import os
 import warnings
 
 import numpy as np
@@ -278,14 +278,14 @@ class Grid:
         """
         root_dir ='DataContainers'
         f = h5py.File(fname, 'r')
-        g = path.join(root_dir,base_group,'_SIMPL_GEOMETRY')
-        cells  = f[path.join(g,'DIMENSIONS')][()]
-        size   = f[path.join(g,'SPACING')][()] * cells
-        origin = f[path.join(g,'ORIGIN')][()]
+        g = os.path.join(root_dir,base_group,'_SIMPL_GEOMETRY')
+        cells  = f[os.path.join(g,'DIMENSIONS')][()]
+        size   = f[os.path.join(g,'SPACING')][()] * cells
+        origin = f[os.path.join(g,'ORIGIN')][()]
 
         ma = np.arange(cells.prod(),dtype=int) \
              if point_data is None else \
-             np.reshape(f[path.join(root_dir,base_group,point_data,material)],cells.prod())
+             np.reshape(f[os.path.join(root_dir,base_group,point_data,material)],cells.prod())
 
         return Grid(ma.reshape(cells,order='F'),size,origin,util.execution_stamp('Grid','load_DREAM3D'))
 
@@ -355,7 +355,7 @@ class Grid:
             seeds_p   = seeds
             coords    = grid_filters.coordinates0_point(cells,size).reshape(-1,3)
 
-        pool = mp.Pool(processes = int(environment.options['DAMASK_NUM_THREADS']))
+        pool = mp.Pool(int(os.environ.get('OMP_NUM_THREADS',1)))
         result = pool.map_async(partial(Grid._find_closest_seed,seeds_p,weights_p), [coord for coord in coords])
         pool.close()
         pool.join()
diff --git a/python/damask/_result.py b/python/damask/_result.py
index 5e37042e0..3f788f229 100644
--- a/python/damask/_result.py
+++ b/python/damask/_result.py
@@ -1134,8 +1134,7 @@ class Result:
 
         """
         chunk_size = 1024**2//8
-        num_threads = damask.environment.options['DAMASK_NUM_THREADS']
-        pool = mp.Pool(int(num_threads) if num_threads is not None else None)
+        pool = mp.Pool(int(os.environ.get('OMP_NUM_THREADS',1)))
         lock = mp.Manager().Lock()
 
         groups = self.groups_with_datasets(datasets.values())
diff --git a/src/parallelization.f90 b/src/parallelization.f90
index 11a3574ec..edf56407b 100644
--- a/src/parallelization.f90
+++ b/src/parallelization.f90
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ contains
 subroutine parallelization_init
 
   integer :: err, typeSize
-!$ integer :: got_env, DAMASK_NUM_THREADS, threadLevel
+!$ integer :: got_env, OMP_NUM_THREADS, threadLevel
 !$ character(len=6) NumThreadsString
 #ifdef PETSc
   PetscErrorCode :: petsc_err
@@ -87,19 +87,19 @@ call MPI_Comm_rank(PETSC_COMM_WORLD,worldrank,err)
     open(OUTPUT_UNIT,file='/dev/null',status='replace')                                             ! close() alone will leave some temp files in cwd
   endif
 
-!$ call get_environment_variable(name='DAMASK_NUM_THREADS',value=NumThreadsString,STATUS=got_env)
+!$ call get_environment_variable(name='OMP_NUM_THREADS',value=NumThreadsString,STATUS=got_env)
 !$ if(got_env /= 0) then
-!$   print*, 'Could not determine value of $DAMASK_NUM_THREADS'
-!$   DAMASK_NUM_THREADS = 1_pI32
+!$   print*, 'Could not determine value of $OMP_NUM_THREADS'
+!$   OMP_NUM_THREADS = 1_pI32
 !$ else
-!$   read(NumThreadsString,'(i6)') DAMASK_NUM_THREADS
-!$   if (DAMASK_NUM_THREADS < 1_pI32) then
-!$     print*, 'Invalid DAMASK_NUM_THREADS: '//trim(NumThreadsString)
-!$     DAMASK_NUM_THREADS = 1_pI32
+!$   read(NumThreadsString,'(i6)') OMP_NUM_THREADS
+!$   if (OMP_NUM_THREADS < 1_pI32) then
+!$     print*, 'Invalid OMP_NUM_THREADS: '//trim(NumThreadsString)
+!$     OMP_NUM_THREADS = 1_pI32
 !$   endif
 !$ endif
-!$ print'(a,i2)',   ' DAMASK_NUM_THREADS: ',DAMASK_NUM_THREADS
-!$ call omp_set_num_threads(DAMASK_NUM_THREADS)
+!$ print'(a,i2)',   ' OMP_NUM_THREADS: ',OMP_NUM_THREADS
+!$ call omp_set_num_threads(OMP_NUM_THREADS)
 
 end subroutine parallelization_init