Efstathios Diamantopoulos

Efstathios Diamantopoulos

Professor of Soil Physics, University of Bayreuth
Chair of the Examination Committee for the BSc and MSc programs in Geoecology, University of Bayreuth

📧 efstathios.diamantopoulos@uni-bayreuth.de
📞 +49(0)921 55 2295
🏢 Geo II, 1.12

↗ Google Scholar    ↗ ORCID    ↗ ResearchGate

Research

I am an environmental soil biophysicist with expertise in quantifying flow and transport processes in the vadose zone. My scientific curiosity is focused on understanding and analysing the discrepancy between theoretical predictions and actual observations in soils — and on developing new theory where existing frameworks fall short. A core element of my research philosophy is the use and development of mathematical models as tools for representing and testing physical understanding.

From a soil physics perspective, I investigate the nonlinear feedbacks among plants, soil chemistry, soil ecology, and soil hydrology — always in close collaboration with fellow scientists across disciplines.

Career

2022 – now   Full Professor (W3), Chair of Soil Physics, University of Bayreuth, Germany

2022 – now   Invited Lecturer, Daisy Agroecological Model Course, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

2017 – 2022   Associate Professor, Agro-hydrology and Biophysical Modelling, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

2016 – 2017   Assistant Project Scientist, UC Davis, CA, USA

2010 – 2015   PostDoc Research Scientist, Braunschweig Institute of Technology, Germany

2010   PhD in Agricultural Engineering Sciences, Agricultural University of Athens, Greece

Awards, Editorial & Community Roles

■  Outstanding Paper Award 2024, Vadose Zone Journal

■  Golden Kreide 2023 — faculty-level teaching award, University of Bayreuth (awarded by BSc students)

■  Ludger Mintrop Award 2017 for Best Paper in Near Surface Geophysics (2016)

■  Associate Editor, Hydrological Sciences Journal (since 2025)

■  Guest Editor, European Journal of Soil Science

■  Deputy Chair, German Soil Science Society, Commission K1 — Soil Physics and Hydrology

■  Member, American Geophysical Union (AGU), Soil Science Society of America (SSSA), European Geosciences Union (EGU), International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS), German Society of Soil Science (DBG)

Selected Publications

■Henri &  Diamantopoulos (2026) Reactions in unsaturated soils: On the dynamic role of heterogeneity-controlled mixing, Water Resources Research, https://doi.org/10.1029/2025WR042390

■ Leuther & Diamantopoulos (2024) Simulating bare soil evaporation for undisturbed soil cores using HYDRUS 3D on X-ray μCT determined soil macrostructures, Vadose Zone Journal, https://doi.org/10.1002/vzj2.20339

■  Weber, Durner, Streck & Diamantopoulos (2019) A modular framework for modelling unsaturated soil hydraulic properties over the full moisture range, Water Resources Research, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018WR024584

■  Bourtsoukidis et al. (2018) Sesquiterpene emissions from Amazonian soils uncover new directions for atmospheric models, Nature Communications, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-04658-y

■  Diamantopoulos & Durner (2013) Physically-based model of soil hydraulic properties accounting for variable contact angle and its effect on hysteresis, Advances in Water Resources, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advwatres.2013.06.005

■  Diamantopoulos, Iden & Durner (2012) Inverse modeling of dynamic non-equilibrium in water flow with an effective approach, Water Resources Research, https://doi.org/10.1029/2011WR010717

↗ Full publication list on Google Scholar