Martin Ebner

Martin Ebner is a Lecturer and Scientist in the Department of Geosciences at the University of Tübingen's Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. He has held this position since 2015, following various research and teaching roles at the same institution since completing his education there. His work bridges geosciences, ecology, and biomimetic engineering applications, with particular focus on desert ecosystems and water collection mechanisms.

Dr. Ebner's research interests center on soil-plant-atmosphere interactions through time, biomimetics for water economization and recovery, dynamics of seagrass beds and reef ecosystems, particle fluxes through water bodies, and reconstruction of land use history effects on biogeochemistry. His work has significant practical applications in sustainable water technologies, particularly in arid environments.

His publication record shows a strong focus on fog-harvesting mechanisms in desert plants, particularly in the Namib and Atacama deserts, with implications for biomimetic applications. The research spans plant physiology, ecosystem dynamics, and practical engineering applications, demonstrating a consistent interdisciplinary approach connecting field observations with technological innovation.

• Techtextil 2011 award for material development in the 3D Bio Filter project

Dr. Ebner has supervised numerous Bachelor's and Master's theses and conducts regular field expeditions to desert regions, most recently to the Atacama Desert in 2023 and the Namib Desert in 2022 for his Fog Plant Oasis project. His current research includes comparative studies between fog-harvesting plants in the Namib and Atacama deserts, examining convergent evolution under similar environmental constraints.

He leads the Fog Plant Oasis project (since 2021) which examines how fog-harvesting plants create micro-ecosystems in hyper-arid environments, with potential applications for sustainable man-made oases. This work builds on his previous projects including biomimetic textile structures for moisture management (2018-2021) and smart packaging based on Brazilian bromeliads (2014-2016).