Matthias Rillig

Prof. Dr. Matthias Rillig is a professor of Ecology at Freie Universität Berlin, where he leads the Plant Ecology lab at the Institute of Biology. His research is concerned with terrestrial ecosystems, and in particular with soil biodiversity and effects of global change on soils. Most work is done with fungi, including saprobic fungi and also arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (which are symbiotic with plant roots). Matthias Rillig’s Substack platform The Ecological Mind is a vibrant, accessible space where he shares creative, deeply informed reflections on ecology, soil, biodiversity, and global environmental change, inviting readers into an ongoing, collaborative conversation about how we understand and visualize the human impact on our planet.