Franz Essl - Biography#

I am a full professor leading the Division of BioInvasions, Macroecology and Global Change at the University of Vienna. I am a plant ecologist and biodiversity scientist with a focus on how the human transformation of the biosphere affects the survival of species and ecosystems. I am equally interested into the ensuing ramifications on human livelihoods, and in guiding environmental policies. In my research, I am focusing on biological invasions, climate and land-use changes, and I use a wide range of approaches and methods.

I have published more than 400 scientific publications, 31 books and book chapters, and I am identified as a “Highly Cited Scientist” by Clarivate since 2018. My scientific achievements have been recognized by my election as “Austrian Scientist of the Year 2022”.

Together with several colleagues, I have co-initiated several important scientific initiatives. I am core team member of the GloNAF-initiative (https://glonaf.org/), which has become a game changer in plant invasion science. I am the co-initiator of the first „Alien Species First Records“ database (https://zenodo.org/records/4632335), the most important resource on global alien species dynamics. More recently, I have co-launched ReSurveyEurope (https://euroveg.org/resurvey/), which establishes a collaborative data repository on re-surveyed vegetation plots. Since 2024, I am the President of the Neobiota-Organization (https://www.neobiota.eu/organization/), a leading initiative in Invasion Science.

I am very well-connected in academia, with close and long-lasting collaborations with many leading colleagues and institutions in the field of global change ecology, biogeography, and conservation science. I am dedicated to a collaborative work style as I am convinced that given the complexity of pressing environmental and scientific questions, this is the most appropriate approach.

Finally, I consider the policy-science nexus as an important part of my scientific work. Accordingly, I have substantially contributed to policy-relevant biodiversity assessments such as IPBES and the CBD. For instance, I have served as Review Editor to the IPBES IAS Assessment, and have co-authored several publications based on outcomes of the IPBES IAS Assessment. Nationally, I am member of the Executive Board of the Austrian Biodiversity Panel (“Österreichischer Biodiversitätsrat”), which I have co-founded in 2018.