Dr. Gregor Mathes

Dr. Gregor Mathes has been working as a research assistant at the Chair of Physical Geography with a focus on Human-Environment Research at the University of Passau since June 1, 2025.

Office hours: by appointment.

Research Focus

Gregor Mathes investigates how biodiversity responds to climate and land-use change. He develops statistical models to correct systematic biases in ecological and geographical data, enabling robust analyses of human–environment interactions. His research is interdisciplinary and bridges macroecology, environmental history, and applied statistics.

since 06/2025	Research Associate at the Chair of Physical Geography with a focus on Human-Environment Research, University of Passau
04/2025 - 06/2025	Postdoctoral researcher at Johannes Kepler University Linz (Austria); independently acquired interdisciplinary position within the Linz Institute for Transformative Change, focused on identifying and correcting biases in the fossil record
10/2024 - 04/2025	Postdoctoral researcher at Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg; science-based policy recommendations for the protection of biodiversity in international waters, as part of the BMBF-funded Ageless consortium
08/2023 - 10/2023	Parental leave
09/2022 - 09/2024	Postdoctoral researcher at the University of Zurich (Switzerland); modeling extinction and dynamic (causal) processes in macroecological time series
10/2019 - 02/2023	Ph.D. (Dr. rer. nat.) at the University of Bayreuth; research on climate–biodiversity interactions using Bayesian regression models; degree awarded with distinction (summa cum laude)
05/2018 - 10/2019	Student research assistant at Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg; developed a database for the carbonate thin section collection
04/2018 - 10/2019	M.Sc. in Analytical Paleobiology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg; graduated with distinction (grade: 1.1)
10/2013 - 03/2018	B.Sc. in Geosciences, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg

Geography section