Simon Poppinga

PD Dr. Simon Poppinga is a Senior Lecturer and Scientific Director of the Botanical Garden at Technische Universität Darmstadt. His research focuses on plant biomechanics, carnivorous plants, biomimetics, functional morphology, and plant movements. He leads projects such as 'Biological and bioinspired autonomous hygroscopic materials systems' and collaborates on 4D-printing applications inspired by plant structures. His work bridges plant biology with engineering, emphasizing biomimetic design for soft robotics and materials science.

Research interests include the biomechanics of plant movements (e.g., Venus flytraps), structural adaptations in pine cones, and hygroscopic materials inspired by carnivorous plants. His contributions span interdisciplinary fields, integrating experimental techniques like digital image correlation and MRI to study plant behavior.

Publications highlight innovations in bioinspired actuators, material-based sensing, and the application of plant-inspired mechanisms in wearable systems. Poppinga’s research is funded by Germany’s Excellence Strategy (DFG) and involves collaborations with institutions like the IDEASfactory@FIT. He actively contributes to events such as the livMatS Colloquium, promoting interdisciplinary biomimetics research.