Markus Reichstein
Markus Reichstein is a professor of global geoecology whose research joins deep learning with Earth system science. He earned a doctorate in plant ecology at the University of Bayreuth in 2001 and became a scientific member and director of the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry in 2012. A Nature perspective he co-wrote in 2019 argued that contextual cues should be used as part of deep learning in Earth system science. The DFG named him a 2020 Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize winner, and he founded the ELLIS Unit Jena in 2021. As of October 2026, he directs the Biogeochemical Integration department.
- Now at
- Max Planck Society and Friedrich Schiller University Jena
- Works
- 986
- Citations
- 99,564
- h-index
- 139
Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 15 October 2026.
Timeline
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2001
A doctorate in plant ecology
He earns a doctorate in plant ecology at the University of Bayreuth in 2001.
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2006–2012
Max Planck group leader and director
From 2006 to 2012 he leads a Max Planck research group in Jena, and in 2012 he becomes a scientific member and director of the institute.
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2013
A Jena professorship and a shared prize
In 2013 he becomes professor of global geoecology at FSU Jena. The Max Planck Research Prize, which he shares with Chris Field, honors their work on how life responds to climate change.
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2018
The Piers J. Sellers Mid-Career Award
At AGU’s Fall Meeting in 2018, he receives the Piers J. Sellers Global Environmental Change Mid-Career Award.
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2019
A Nature perspective on deep learning
Together with six co-authors, he publishes a Perspective in Nature in February 2019, arguing that contextual cues should be used as part of deep learning in Earth system science.
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2020
The Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize
The DFG names him a 2020 Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize winner.
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2021
Founding the ELLIS Unit Jena
In 2021 he founds the ELLIS Unit Jena, part of ELLIS, the pan-European AI network of excellence.
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As of October 2026
Director of Biogeochemical Integration
At the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, he is director of the Biogeochemical Integration department.
Sources and credits
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- Reichstein, Markus | Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
- Personen EN – Markus Reichstein : Deutsches Klima Konsortium
- How Can Artificial Intelligence Enhance Our Understanding of the Earth System?
- Max Planck Research Prize for Chris Field and Markus Reichstein | Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
- Reichstein Receives 2018 Piers J. Sellers Global Environmental Change Mid-Career Award - Eos
- Deep learning and process understanding for data-driven Earth system science | Nature
- Leibniz-Prize for Markus Reichstein | Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry
- Prof. Dr. Markus Reichstein | Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry
- Markus Reichstein | European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems