Malte Ebach

Malte Ebach is an Honorary Associate Professor at the School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales (UNSW). His primary affiliation is with UNSW’s Science faculty, where he contributes to teaching and research in biogeography and systematics. He has held collaborative roles with institutions like CSIRO Publishing and the Linnean Society, and his work spans multiple disciplines involving classification and natural history.

Ebanch’s research focuses on Australasian and Gondwanan biogeography, emphasizing natural classification methods such as cladistics and Goethean science. He critically examines historical taxonomic practices, advocating for rigorous area taxonomy and the integration of tectonic data into bioregionalization. Key themes include transition zones, the legacy of 19th-century plant and animal geography, and the revival of bioregionalization in the context of modern geology.

He has authored or co-authored over 20 books since 2004, including Biotectonics of Neotropical Transition Zones (2024) and Goethe in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (2023). His edited works include Handbook of Australasian Biogeography (2017) and Biogeography in a Changing World (2006). His recent publications analyze tectonic influences on biogeography, SARS-CoV-2 taxonomy, and the philosophical underpinnings of classification systems.

Ebanch’s teaching roles at UNSW include convening GEOS1111 Fundamentals of Geology and GEOS3071 Life on a Dynamic Earth, and lecturing in GEOS1211 Earth and Environmental Science. He critiques emerging trends in taxonomy, such as DNA barcoding, and emphasizes the need for intuitive, historically grounded methods in systematics.