Teja Kattenborn

Teja Kattenborn serves as Professor for Sensor-based Geoinformatics (geosense) at the University of Freiburg, Germany. With 118 publications, over 95,000 reads, and 7,103 citations, he has established himself as a leading researcher in remote sensing applications for ecological monitoring and environmental assessment. His work bridges advanced technological approaches with fundamental ecological questions, making significant contributions to understanding vegetation dynamics and forest health through innovative remote sensing methodologies.

Professor Kattenborn's research focuses on integrating cutting-edge remote sensing technologies with ecological science to monitor plant species distributions, forest health, and ecosystem dynamics. His expertise spans UAV/drone imagery analysis, satellite data interpretation, and deep learning applications for vegetation mapping. He has pioneered methods to extract plant functional traits from spectral data, enabling new approaches to understanding biodiversity patterns and ecosystem responses to climate change. His work demonstrates how advanced computational techniques can transform raw remote sensing data into meaningful ecological insights about plant functioning and community composition.

His recent publications reveal a strong emphasis on advancing remote sensing methodologies for ecological applications, particularly using deep learning for fine-grained plant species mapping, monitoring forest dieback and tree mortality at unprecedented scales, and retrieving plant functional traits from diverse remote sensing platforms. His research spans from centimeter-scale UAV applications to global analyses using satellite data, demonstrating both technical innovation and ecological relevance. Notably, his work increasingly addresses climate change impacts on forest ecosystems, particularly drought-induced forest dieback and its cascading effects on ecosystem services.

Scientific recognition includes:

• Best oral presentation at the IAVS Annual Symposium 2019
• Best oral presentation at the EARSel SIG Imaging Spectroscopy Workshop 2019
• ARCADIS price for Geo- and environmental research
• Fellowship for UAV-Based beach-profile monitoring system
• Karl-Steinbuch-fellowship 2013

As principal investigator of the Sensor-based Geoinformatics (geosense) research group, Professor Kattenborn leads multiple collaborative projects, including participation in the ECOSENSE Collaborative Research Centre funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). His extensive publication record with numerous co-authors across institutions indicates active mentorship of graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, though specific advisees aren't listed in the provided information. His research program appears well-funded through various national and international grants supporting innovative environmental monitoring approaches.

The geosense research group develops and applies novel remote sensing techniques for environmental monitoring, with particular strengths in UAV-based systems, deep learning applications, and multi-sensor data fusion. Professor Kattenborn maintains extensive collaborations across Germany and internationally, as evidenced by his diverse publication record spanning European institutions and global research initiatives focused on forest ecology, biodiversity monitoring, and climate change impacts.