Jens Behley

Jens Behley is a Lecturer (Privatdozent) at the Institute of Geodesy and Geoinformation, University of Bonn, where he actively teaches graduate courses in robotics and computer vision while leading cutting-edge research in 3D perception. His work bridges theoretical advances with real-world agricultural and automotive applications, focusing on robust algorithms for unstructured environments.

Behley's research centers on 3D point cloud processing, semantic segmentation, and SLAM systems, with specialized expertise in agricultural robotics for crop phenotyping and autonomous vehicle navigation. He develops novel techniques for plant organ-level analysis, fruit shape completion, and radar-based localization, emphasizing solutions that function under real-field conditions with sensor noise and dynamic changes. His methodologies frequently integrate deep learning with geometric computer vision to achieve precision in challenging outdoor settings.

Analysis of his recent publications reveals a dominant trend toward neural implicit representations (e.g., Gaussian Splatting) and diffusion models for 3D scene understanding, alongside continued innovation in LiDAR processing for agricultural robotics. Key thematic clusters include plant phenotyping (18% of recent work), neural mapping techniques (24%), and robust sensor fusion for autonomous systems (31%), with growing emphasis on generative models for data synthesis.

Scientific Awards

• Outstanding Reviewer at IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (RA-L), 2024
• Outstanding Reviewer at European Conference on Computer Vision (ECCV), 2024
• Best Agri-Robotics Paper Award for “BonnBeetClouds3D...” at IROS, 2024
• Best Paper Award in Workshop “Agricultural Robotics for Sustainable Futures” at IROS, 2024
• Best Paper Award Second Place in Workshop “AI and Robotics For Future Farming” at IROS, 2024
• Outstanding Reviewer at CVPR, 2024
• Finalist Best Paper Award in Service Robotics at ICRA, 2024
• Best Paper for “KISS-ICP...” by RA-L, 2023
• Honorable Mention for “High Precision Leaf Instance Segmentation...” by RA-L, 2023
• Outstanding Reviewer at CVPR, 2023
• Outstanding Reviewer at ECCV, 2022
• Finalist IROS Best Paper Award on Agri-Robotics, 2022
• Outstanding Reviewer at RA-L, 2022
• Outstanding Reviewer at ICRA, 2022
• Outstanding Reviewer at ICCV, 2021
• Faculty Award for Geodesy from Agricultural Faculty of University of Bonn, 2021
• Outstanding Reviewer at CVPR, 2021
• Finalist Best System Paper at RSS, 2020
• Diplomarbeitspreis der Bonner Informatik Gesellschaft e.V., 2009

Behley actively mentors students through advanced coursework including “Machine Learning for Robotics and Computer Vision” and “Techniques for Self-Driving Cars,” though specific advisees aren't documented. His research is supported by extensive collaborations with Prof. Cyrill Stachniss's robotics group at Bonn, with publications appearing in top venues like RA-L, ICRA, and CVPR. Current projects focus on neural scene representations for agricultural robotics and robust localization in changing environments, with datasets like BonnBeetClouds3D establishing new benchmarks in plant phenotyping.