‘The prize money is nice, but the acknowledgement of my research matters most’

Congratulations! How does winning this award feel?

‘Thank you! I received word that I won the award in November 2023. I knew I had been nominated but had not expected to win, so when I received the call, I was taken by complete surprise.

The award ceremony took place in Amsterdam last week. It was a very festive day, which my family shared, including my two children, aged four and one-and-a-half. I met the other prize winners, who focused on entirely different topics. One of them studies planets, another computer sciences, really fascinating.’

What does winning this award mean to you?

‘The prize comes with a sizeable sum of money. Still, the acknowledgement of my research matters most. It motivates me to continue. Hopefully, I will also be able to inspire others, such as the PhD students and post-docs I supervise. An award like this conveys that we are working on relevant topics.’

What sparked your interest in hydrology?

‘I’m not sure to be honest. I have always been interested in the Earth’s system, which, being Dutch, has a link to water. I have often seen high tides in Nijmegen, my city of birth. I studied hydrology in Wageningen and pursued my PhD in groundwater hydrology in Utrecht. I have been back in Wageningen for several years now.’

Can you briefly describe your research?

‘During my PhD, I developed a global groundwater model, on which I have continued to work over the last few years. The model shows how much groundwater we are currently using for agriculture, among other things, and what we may expect to use in the future. In Wageningen, we are now linking various models on a global scale: a hydrological model, a groundwater model and a crop-growth model. This enables us to link groundwater levels to food production on a global scale for the first time.

Knowing how much groundwater we can sustainably extract from the system is essential. Agriculture currently uses much more water than we have available, and this issue will only increase as the world population -and, with it, the demand for food- increases. Moreover, climate change causes the availability of surface water to shrink. So, the question is: how can we sustainably produce enough food?’

What do you hope your research will achieve?

‘I want to use my models to understand the system. But, more importantly, how can we apply this knowledge? Suppose the models show me that there is insufficient water available for food production in a region in India. Does that mean people there should simply go hungry? That is what motivates me. WUR has a unique position, as we are focused on the link between water, food and sustainability, and thus also on the impact on humans.

Our goal is to arrive at a world map that reveals where issues occur. From there, we can take the next step towards adaptation. That means developing scenarios to address the issues and figuring out what adaptation strategies we can use. For example, what effect would more efficient irrigation have? But, this is all very complex; we have not arrived at this stage yet.’

How do you envision your future, having now won the Early Career Award?

‘I will put the €15.000 euros in prize money towards the next step in my career. I don’t yet know what that step will be. I may visit other research groups for inspiration, including groups beyond my field of expertise. I hope to fortify and expand my line of research.’