Independent Research Groups & Emeriti

Independent research groups are not integrated into departments and are not overseen by a director. They can be led by i) former or current independent Max Planck research group leaders (MPRG), ii) independent leaders of third-party funded projects such as ERC or Emmy-Noether (DFG), or iii) fellows or emeriti of the institute.

Biospheric Theory and Modelling

In the group Biospheric Theory and Modelling lead by Axel Kleidon, we explore how the thermodynamic Earth system approach can be applied to different fields and questions in Earth system science. more

Carbon Balance, Ecosystem Research and Forest Management

Ernst-Detlef Schulze, emeritus Director of the institute, focuses  on the relation between plant biodiversity and land management. more

Functional Biogeography

TRY database

The group, led by Jens Kattge and started by Max Planck Fellow Christian Wirth, explores plant functional diversity and its role in biogeochemical cycles: how it is affected by climate variation and environmental changes and how it affects vegetation responses. For this purpose, it hosts the TRY Plant Trait Database. more

Biogeochemical Systems

The group, led by Emeritus Director Martin Heimann, develops methods to measure greenhouse gases in situ and by remote sensing. It extends the measurement network to remote hot-spot regions and develops and uses numerical models for large-scale quantification of sources and sinks of greenhouse gases. more

Biodiversity, Ecosystems & Society (BES)

The research group focuses on three main areas:
a) Automated and integrative species identification
b) Biodiversity monitoring and ecosystem functioning
c) Citizen Science