Karl Martin

As a scientist he is known for his paleontological and stratigraphical research on the Cenozoic fauna of the Dutch East Indies, especially on mollusks.

He then worked as a teacher at Wismar, where he studied the glacial deposits of Northern Europe.

When a chair in geology was created at Leiden University in 1877, Schlegel remembered Martin as a good candidate.

As a professor at Leiden, Martins' research was on the collections of the (in 1880 newly created) Geological Museum, especially on fossils from the Dutch colonies.

After his retirement in 1922 Martin continued his research on the Tertiary stratigraphy of the Dutch East Indies.