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Fabian Meder

Researcher
Bioinspired Soft Robotics
Phone
Research center
Biografia

Fabian Meder graduated in 2008 in Bio-and Nanotechnology from South Westphalia University of Applied Science, Germany and obtained a PhD in Material Science with highest honors from University of Bremen, Germany in 2013 on the interactions between functionalized materials and biological matter. Before joining IIT in 2017, he was a postdoctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, Germany (2016-2017), at University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany (2016, 6 months), and the Centre for BioNano Interactions at University College Dublin, Ireland (2013-2016), and he worked as a graduate student researcher at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, EMPA, Switzerland (2007-2008). During his career, he has been working between engineering, material science, and biology in 7 institutes in 4 countries and developed unique interdisciplinary skills and techniques for analyzing and utilizing living, biological and artificial matter. He collaborated with 14 research groups from 11 institutions and 8 different countries (104 co-authors) and supervised PhD, Master, Bachelor and internship students from 6 countries. In 2021, he was awarded the title Rising Star from the Rising Star Academy of the University of Freiburg, Germany. His research interest lies in the edge between materials science and biology and the processes occurring at biological and material surfaces at all scales. His recent work at IIT focuses on novel energy sources based on electrical phenomena in living plants and on new functional materials for soft robotics. In 2023, he won an ERC Consolidator grant for his project EpiC in which he will analyse and exploit spontaneous charge formation on biological surfaces.

Experience External

Title: Senior Post Doc
Institute: Nanophotonics and Biosensing, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light
Location: Erlangen
Country: Germany
From: 2016 To: 2017

Title: Visiting Post Doc
Institute: Institute for Biomaterials, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg
Location: Erlangen
Country: Germany
From: 2016 To: 2016

Title: Post Doc
Institute: Centre for BioNano Interactions, University College Dublin
Location: Dublin
Country: Ireland
From: 2013 To: 2016

Title: PhD Student
Institute: Advanced Ceramics, University of Bremen
Location: null
Country: null
From: 2008 To: 2013

Title: Research Assistant
Institute: High Performance Ceramics, EMPA & Katadyn AG
Location: null
Country: null
From: 2007 To: 2008

All Publications
2023
Meder F., Baytekin B., Del Dottore E., Meroz Y., Tauber F., Walker I., Mazzolai B.
A perspective on plant robotics: from bioinspiration to hybrid systems
Bioinspiration and Biomimetics, vol. 18, (no. 1)
2023
Armiento S., Meder F., Mazzolai B.
Device for Simultaneous Wind and Raindrop Energy Harvesting Operating on the Surface of Plant Leaves
IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, vol. 8, (no. 4), pp. 2269 - 2276
Article Journal
2023
Meder F., Treccani L.
Functionalized Surfaces and Interactions with Biomolecules
Surface-Functionalized Ceramics: For Biotechnological and Environmental Applications, Publisher: Wiley
Book Chapter Book
2023
Treccani L., Meder F.
Surface-Functionalized Ceramics: For Biotechnological and Environmental Applications
Surface-Functionalized Ceramics: For Biotechnological and Environmental Applications, Publisher: Wiley
Book Book
2022
Armiento S., Mondini A., Meder F., Mazzolai B.
A plant-hybrid system for wind monitoring connected with social media
2022 IEEE 5th International Conference on Soft Robotics, RoboSoft 2022, pp. 287-292
Conference Paper Conference
Awards and Achievements
2023
Meder F.
ERC Consolidator Grant
2021
Meder F.
Awarded title “Rising Star” by the Freiburg Rising Stars Academy, Freiburg, Germany
2020
Meder F.
Best paper award Living Machines Conference
2016
Meder F.
Early career postdoctoral research fellowship, 6 months
2014
Meder F.
1st Science Award of Oldenburgische Landesbank (“OLB Wissenschaftspreis 2014”)