Hans Cornelissen

Prof. Hans Cornelissen is a Full Professor in Systems Ecology at the Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. His research focuses on plant functional traits and their role in ecosystem processes, particularly carbon and nutrient cycling. He leads projects such as FLARE (fire ecology lab) and LOGLIFE (tree decomposition experiment), and coordinates global change impact studies. He has received prestigious awards including the Eminent Ecologist title (2022) and Clarivate's Highly Cited Researcher designation (2014–2019).

Research interests include litter decomposition, fire ecology, and evolutionary patterns in carbon cycling processes. He collaborates on large-scale experiments and database initiatives like BioTIME 2.0. Recent work explores climate feedback mechanisms, Arctic vegetation shifts, and deadwood dynamics. Supervised 17 PhD theses and manages the Antarctic biota count (ABC) project as Principal Investigator.

Labs/Teams: Coordinates FLARE fire lab and LOGLIFE decomposition project. Collaborates with global networks on tundra and tropical forest studies. Future work emphasizes linking trait diversity to ecosystem resilience under global change.