Fabian Gerd Meder

Prof. Fabian Meder is an Associate Professor at the BioRobotics Institute of Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna in Pisa, Italy, leading the Lab for Surface Phenomena and Integrated Systems. He holds a PhD in Materials Science (2013) from the University of Bremen and has held positions at EMPA (Switzerland), University College Dublin (Ireland), and the Max Planck Institute (Germany). His research focuses on surface phenomena and their applications in energy harvesting, soft robotics, and biohybrid systems, particularly leveraging plant surfaces for sustainable technologies.

Education:

• Bachelor's in Bio- and Nanotechnology (2008) – South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences
• PhD in Materials Science (2013) – University of Bremen

Research Interests:

• Triboelectric charging and energy conversion on biological surfaces
• Plant-inspired biohybrid systems for autonomous energy generation
• Epicuticular electrification mechanisms and their ecological implications
• Soft robotics and sensor technologies integrated with natural systems

Grants & Awards:

• ERC Consolidator Grant (2024) for the EpiC project on epicuticular electrification
• National Italian Habilitation (ASN) as Associate Professor in Physical Chemistry (2022)

Labs & Teams: Leads the Lab for Surface Phenomena and Integrated Systems, collaborating on interdisciplinary projects in biohybrid robotics and energy harvesting.