Martin Behnisch

Professor Martin Behnisch holds the Professorship for Spatial Information and Modelling at Dresden University of Technology (TUD) since 2023 and leads the same research area at the Leibniz-Institute of Ecological and Regional Development since 2011. He has held academic roles including Lecturer at Technische Universität Dortmund (2007–2011) and Senior Lecturer at Tianjin University (2005–2007).

• Diploma: Architecture (KIT, 1995–1998)
• MSc in Geographical Information Science and Systems (summa cum laude, Paris Lodron University Salzburg, 2004–2007)
• PhD (summa cum laude, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 1998–2004)

His research interests span Spatial Data Science, Urban Sprawl, Building Stock Dynamics, and GIScience for Sustainable Urban Development, with a focus on data-driven approaches to monitor land consumption, soil sealing, and urban metrics. He has led major projects funded by DFG, SNF, BMBF, and BMWI, including analyses of urban solar potential, non-residential building databases, and insect biodiversity in protected areas.

Recent publications (2024–2025) address residential infill determinants, urban sprawl drivers, and hybrid energy modeling, emphasizing spatiotemporal analysis. Earlier works (2018–2023) explored cluster analysis for land use patterns, 3D urban modeling, and crowdsourcing façade data.

• Key Collaborations: Associate Professor Dr. Jochen A.G. Jaeger (Concordia University), Prof. Dr. Markus Neppl (KIT), Prof. Niklaus Kohler (ETH Zurich)
• Grants: DFG (land use change), SNF (building stock conservation), BMWi (solar potential), BBSR (non-residential data), UBA (settlement trends)
• Editorial Roles: Guest Editor for ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information and Environment and Planning B