Curriculum vitae
Andrew J. Fairbairn
Dr. rer. nat. · Ecologist & founder
Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence · Nature Integrity · AF Labs · RARElab
Research interests
- Automated monitoring
- Bioacoustics
- Biodiversity conservation
- Endangered & lost species
- Ornithology
- Urban ecology
- Applied machine learning
Experience
Professional experience
2026 – present
Postdoctoral Researcher
Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence
Blue-throated macaw (Ara glaucogularis) recovery project, Llanos de Moxos, Bolivia, with Loro Parque Fundación
2024 – present
Founder & Managing Director
RARElab Science & Conservation gUG (i. Gr.)
2026 – present
Founder
AF Labs (independent software and AI studio)
2020 – present
Independent IT / data consultant
Freelance
2025
Postdoctoral Researcher
Technical University of Munich
April – September 2025
2022 – 2025
Research Assistant
Research Training Group “Urban Green Infrastructure”, TUM
2021 – 2022
Research Assistant
“Animal-Aided Design”, TUM
2017 – 2019
Senior Ornithologist / Assistant Site Manager
Operation Wallacea, Dominica
Ornithologist (2017), Senior Ornithologist (2018), Senior Ornithologist and Assistant Site Manager (2019)
2015
Intern
Verein Jordsand
2009 – 2013
U.S. Army
Infantry
Education
Education
2022 – 2025
Dr. rer. nat. / PhD in Ecology
Technical University of Munich
summa cum laude · Thesis: Unravelling patterns and drivers of biodiversity for informed urban conservation and planning.
2019 – 2020
B.Sc. Information Technology
American Military University
Concentration: Programming · summa cum laude
2015 – 2016
M.Sc. Conservation and Biodiversity
University of Exeter
2011 – 2015
B.Sc. Environmental Science
American Military University
Teaching
Teaching
TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich
2023 Winter
Co-supervisor
Engineering Ecology Project
2023 Winter
Co-lecturer
Introduction to Ecology
2023 Summer
Co-supervisor
Urban Ecology Project
2023 Summer
Guest lecturer
Advanced Concepts in Urban Ecosystems
2022 Winter
Guest lecturer
Functional Diversity of Animals
2022 Summer
Excursion leader
Bird Biodiversity, Functional Diversity of Animals
2022 Summer
Co-supervisor
Urban Ecology Project
2021 Summer
Co-supervisor
Urban Ecology Project
Field expedition, Dominica, Operation Wallacea
2019 Summer
Instructor
Field ornithological methods
2018 Summer
Instructor
Field ornithological methods
2017 Summer
Instructor
Field ornithological methods
Mentorships
Supervised theses
2025
Master’s thesis · Antonia Haberer
The influence of urban building typologies on bird diversity in Munich
2025
Master’s thesis · Rachel Schiebel
Effects of vegetation cover and vegetation composition on bird diversity and abundance across Munich
2025
Master’s thesis · Lara Daniela
Effects of size and proximity of water sources on species richness and composition of local bird populations in the city of Munich
2024
Master’s thesis · Josija-Simoen Burmeister
By-species classification performance of BirdNET: effects of bird morphology, acoustic traits, and habitat
2023
Bachelor’s thesis · Sophia D. Katholnigg
The effects of greenness on bird diversity in Munich
2023
Bachelor’s thesis · Andreas Winkler
Effects of using different recording units for ecological research
2023
Research internship · Louis Schroll
Greenness enhances urban bird diversity and abundance: an insight from an acoustic survey
2022 – 2023
Master’s thesis · Xiaoxue Sun
Effects of substrate depth and habitat elements on arthropods on green roofs
Presentations
Conference presentations
2024 · Poster
Urban biodiversity is affected by human-designed features of public squares
BES Annual Meeting, Liverpool, UK
2024 · Oral
NDVI and vegetation volume as proxies for urban bird diversity
53rd GfÖ Annual Meeting, Freising, Germany
2024 · Poster
Evaluating the performance of BirdNET for acoustic surveys in urban environments
IGSSE Forum, Raitenhaslach, Germany
2023 · Oral
Enhancing bird surveys: evaluating acoustic monitoring and BirdNET for monitoring urban bird diversity
52nd GfÖ Annual Meeting, Leipzig, Germany
2023 · Poster
Urban green spaces as hotspots for biodiversity
IGSSE Forum, Raitenhaslach, Germany
2022 · Oral
The effects of design features on biodiversity in urban squares
SFE GfÖ EEG Joint Meeting, Metz, France
Appointments
Appointments and memberships
2023 – 2024
Deputy Speaker of Doctoral Researchers
TUM International Graduate School for Science and Engineering
2021 – 2024
Board member
Landesbund für Vogel- und Naturschutz in Bayern e.V., Kreisgruppe Fürth
Professional memberships
- Ecological Society of Germany, Austria and Switzerland (GfÖ)
- European Ornithologists’ Union
Media appearances
2022
Bayerischer Rundfunk
WG mit Wildtier: Neues Bauen in der Stadt
Fieldwork
Bird ringing
I have been ringing birds since before my master’s at the University of Exeter, where I ringed Irish light-bellied brent geese (Branta bernicla hrota) in Ireland and Iceland, and collected blood and feather samples to determine sex and look at carry-over effects from disturbance on the overwintering grounds. I trained and gained my credentials through the British Trust for Ornithology. Since 2021 I have run a ringing programme for the Landesbund für Vogel- und Naturschutz in Fürth, Bavaria, ringing around 200 to 300 birds a year, much of it monitoring breeding populations through nest boxes. I am licensed to ring at open nests, nest boxes and mist nets for all species in my permit area.
Publications
Publications
Peer-reviewed
- Fairbairn A.J. (2026) Beyond species richness in urban bird acoustic monitoring. Nature Cities 3:107–108. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44284-026-00391-6
- Egerer M.; Annighöfer P.; Arzberger S.; … Fairbairn A.J.; … Pauleit S. (2025) Social-ecological relationships on biodiverse and health-promoting city soundscapes. Basic and Applied Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2025.12.007
- Fairbairn A.J.; Burmeister J-S.; Weisser W.W.; Meyer S.T. (2025) BirdNET can be as good as experts for acoustic bird monitoring in a European city. PLOS ONE 20:e0330836. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0330836
- Dornelas M.; Antão L.H.; Bates A.E.; … Fairbairn A.J.; … Magurran A.E. (2025) BioTIME 2.0: Expanding and Improving a Database of Biodiversity Time Series. Global Ecology and Biogeography 34:e70003. https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.70003
- Fairbairn A.J.; Katholnigg S.; Leichtle T.; et al. (2025) NDVI and vegetation volume as predictors of urban bird diversity. Scientific Reports 15:12863. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-96098-0
- Arzberger S.; Fairbairn A.; Hemauer M.; Mühlbauer M.; Weissmann J.; Egerer M. (2025) The potential of soundscapes as an ecosystem monitoring tool for urban biodiversity. Journal of Urban Ecology 11(1):juaf002. https://doi.org/10.1093/jue/juaf002
- Fairbairn A.J.*; Meyer S.T.*; Mühlbauer M.; et al. (2024) Urban biodiversity is affected by human-designed features of public squares. Nature Cities 1(10). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44284-024-00126-5
- Micklewright J.; Poor M.B.; Fakirova E.; Fairbairn A.J.; et al. (2024) Urban Green Infrastructure for Resilient Urban Transformations: A System Dynamics Modelling Approach for Streets as Multifunctional Spaces. In: PLEA 2024: (Re)thinking Resilience. Politechnika Wrocławska, Oficyna Wydawnicza. https://doi.org/10.37190/PLEA_2024
- Grabowski Z.; Fairbairn A.J.; Teixeira L.H.; et al. (2023) Cosmopolitan conservation: the multi-scalar contributions of urban green infrastructure to biodiversity protection. Biodiversity and Conservation. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-023-02614-x
- Martin T.E.; Bennett G.C.; Fairbairn A.; Mooers A.O. (2023) Towards a standardized framework for managing lost species. Animal Conservation. https://doi.org/10.1111/acv.12865
- Fairbairn A.; Thornhill I.; Martin T.E.; Hayward R.; Ive R.; Hammond J.; et al. (2022) The short-term impacts of Hurricane Maria on the forest birds of Dominica. Journal of Caribbean Ornithology 35:70–82. https://doi.org/10.55431/jco.2022.35.70-82
- Martin T.E.; Bennett G.C.; Fairbairn A.; Mooers A.O. (2022) ‘Lost’ taxa and their conservation implications. Animal Conservation. https://doi.org/10.1111/acv.12788
* Equal contribution.
Other (non-peer-reviewed)
- Pauleit S.; Alim I.; Baghaie Poor M.; Banihashemi F.; Berger N.; Egerer M.; Fairbairn A.J.; et al. (2024) Results Brochure of the Research Training Group Urban Green Infrastructure. Chair for Strategic Landscape Planning and Management. https://doi.org/10.14459/2024MD1742953
- Hauck T.; Weisser W.; Mühlbauer M.; Bischer R.; Meyer S.; Fairbairn A.; et al. (2023) Animal-Aided Design in der Brantstraße. Detaillierte und technische Beschreibung der Maßnahmen für Tiere.