Research Profile

Ingrid Kögel-Knabner is one of the internationally leading scientists in the field of soil science. Her research has made a major contribution to understanding the role of soils as a central component of the global climate system. Soils represent the largest terrestrial carbon reservoir and are of fundamental importance for the global carbon cycle as well as for key ecosystem functions, particularly productivity.

Her work focuses on the formation, composition, and stabilization of soil organic matter. A particular emphasis lies on molecular and microstructural mechanisms of carbon storage, especially organo-mineral interactions. Her research has been instrumental in demonstrating that the long-term stabilization of soil organic matter is not primarily driven by its chemical recalcitrance to microbial decomposition, but is largely determined by physical protection mechanisms and mineral associations.

To analyze these processes, she employs high-resolution spectroscopic and imaging techniques, including ^{^13}C NMR spectroscopy and NanoSIMS (secondary ion mass spectrometry). By linking molecular analysis with a system-level understanding of soils, her work has generated new insights into the dynamics, functions, and climate relevance of soil organic matter.

Ingrid Kögel-Knabner studied geoecology at the University of Bayreuth. Following her doctorate (1987) and habilitation (1992), she was appointed Professor of Soil Science and Soil Ecology at Ruhr University Bochum. In 1995, she accepted the Chair of Soil Science at the Technical University of Munich in Freising-Weihenstephan, which she shaped scientifically for more than three decades.

From 2021 to 2025, she served as Dean of the TUM School of Life Sciences. In this role, she assumed responsibility for the further development of the School during a period of structural transformation, oversaw numerous appointment procedures, and played a key role in shaping its academic profile.

In addition to her research, she has been active in major science policy bodies, including the Senate and the Committee of the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the German Federal Government’s Bioeconomy Council. Through these roles, she contributed at the interface of science, policy advice, and sustainability research.

Since 2015, she has been continuously listed as a Highly Cited Researcher and ranks among the most frequently cited scientists in her field worldwide.

As a TUM Emerita of Excellence, she remains closely associated with the Technical University of Munich and continues to contribute her expertise in academic and strategic contexts.

 

Academic Career

1978–1983	Study of Geoecology, University of Bayreuth
1983	Diploma in Geoecology, University of Bayreuth
1987	Doctorate in Soil Science, University of Bayreuth
1992	Habilitation in Soil Science, University of Bayreuth
1992–1995	Professor of Soil Science and Soil Ecology, Ruhr University Bochum
1995–2025	Professor and Chair of Soil Science, Technical University of Munich
2009–2015	Member of the Senate and the Joint Committee, German Research Foundation (DFG)
2021–2025	Dean, TUM School of Life Sciences
since 2025	TUM Emerita of Excellence

 

Memberships

• German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina (since 2001)
• German Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech) (since 2007)
• Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities (since 2017)
• Academia Europaea (since 2020)
• National Academy of Engineering, USA (since 2025)

 

Awards

• Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (Medal) (2013)
• Philippe Duchaufour Medal, European Geosciences Union (2015)
• Emil Ramann Medal, German Soil Science Society (2015)
• Honorary Doctorate (Dr. h. c.), University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (2015)
• Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Medal, Technical University of Munich (2016)
• Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art (2018)

• German Environmental Prize, German Federal Environmental Foundation (2019)

   

Key Publications

Kögel-Knabner I, Guggenberger G, Kleber M, Kandeler E, Kalbitz K, Scheu S, Eusterhues K, Leinweber P (2008) Organo-mineral associations in temperate soils: integrating biology, mineralogy and organic matter chemistry. Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science 171, 61-82.

Lehmann J, Hansel CM, Kaiser C, Kleber M, Maher K, Manzoni S, Nunan N, Reichstein M, Schimel JP, Torn MS, Wieder WR, Kögel-Knabner I (2020) Persistence of soil organic carbon caused by functional complexity. Nature Geoscience 13, 529–534.

Steffens M, Rogge D, Mueller C, Höschen C, Lugmeier J, Kölbl A, Kögel-Knabner I (2017) Identification of distinct functional microstructural domains controlling C storage in soil. Environmental Science & Technology 51, 12182-12189.

Vogel C, Mueller CW, Höschen C, Buegger F, Heister K, Schulz S, Schloter M, Kögel-Knabner I (2014) Submicron structures provide preferential spots for carbon and nitrogen sequestration in soils. Nature Communications 5:2947 | DOI: 10.1038/ncomms3947.

Kalbitz K, Kaiser K, Fiedler S, Kölbl A, Amelung W, Bräuer T, Cao ZH, Don A, Jahn R, Schwark L, Vogelsang V, Wissing L, Kögel-Knabner I (2013) The carbon count of 2000 years of rice cultivation. Global Change Biology 19, 1107-1113.