Alexander Winkler

Dr. Alexander Winkler serves as a Group Leader in the Department of Biogeochemical Integration at the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry in Jena, Germany. His research focuses on the complex interactions between the atmosphere and biosphere, particularly examining energy, water, and carbon exchanges within the Earth system. He leads the research group on Atmosphere-Biosphere Coupling, Climate and Causality, and contributes significantly to the USMILE ERC Project that explores statistical and machine learning applications in Earth system research.

Winkler's research interests span land-atmosphere interactions, climate-carbon cycle feedbacks, and the application of modern statistical and machine learning methods to Earth system science. His work particularly emphasizes hybrid modeling approaches that combine process-based and data-driven models to better understand land-atmosphere interactions. He investigates how rising atmospheric CO₂ concentrations affect Earth observations and model simulations through causal inference techniques, and examines constraints on key entities in the climate-biosphere continuum by linking multi-model ensemble simulations with observational data.

His recent publications reveal a strong trend toward integrating machine learning with traditional Earth system modeling, with significant contributions in carbon cycle dynamics, climate-carbon feedbacks, and vegetation responses to climate change. His research demonstrates how hybrid modeling approaches can enhance our understanding of complex Earth system processes, particularly in disentangling the effects of rising CO₂ on land-atmosphere exchanges of carbon and water.

Winkler actively contributes to academic education, teaching courses such as 'Klimatologie und Klimawandel' at Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena's Chemisch-Geowissenschaftliche Fakultät, and has previously taught 'Terrestrial Ecosystem Processes & Carbon Feedbacks within Earth System Models' at Universität Hamburg. His teaching reflects his research expertise, focusing on the intersection of climate science, carbon cycle dynamics, and advanced data analysis techniques.