Ciska Veen appointed Special Professor of Soil Biology

Veen studies how soil organisms such as bacteria, fungi and small soil animals contribute to healthy ecosystems. Soil life plays a key role in processes including carbon storage, plant growth and biodiversity.

Veen is a soil ecologist who investigates how soil communities—including bacteria, fungi, nematodes and microarthropods—influence ecosystems. More than sixty percent of all organisms live in the soil and play a crucial role in processes such as carbon sequestration, plant growth and biodiversity.

Within her chair, Veen focuses on how knowledge gained from natural ecosystems can contribute to more sustainable land use and improved soil management. Her research examines, among other topics, how organic matter influences soil communities and how these processes can support efficient carbon and nutrient cycling.

Veen studied Biology at the University of Groningen, where she graduated cum laude with a Master's degree in 2005. In 2011, she obtained her PhD with research on interactions between above- and belowground organisms and their effects on the dynamics and diversity of plant communities in natural grasslands.

Following her PhD, she received an NWO Rubicon grant and moved to the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Umeå, Sweden. There, she studied decomposition processes in Arctic ecosystems. This work laid the foundation for her later research at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology, where she continued to investigate soil communities, land use and climate change.

In addition to decomposition processes, Veen studies how soil communities respond to changes in land use and climate, and what the consequences are for ecosystem functioning. She coordinates long-term field experiments in the Veluwe region and co-leads several research programmes on climate-smart forestry, soil biodiversity and sustainable tree cultivation.

Alongside her research, Veen is actively involved in strengthening collaboration within the field of soil ecology. She is co-founder and chair of the National Centre for Soil Ecology, a network platform for soil ecologists in the Netherlands.

She also serves in a variety of scientific and societal roles. She is a member of the NWO Life Sciences table, an editor of the journals Functional Ecology and Oikos, and chair of the advisory board of Geldersch Landschap & Kasteelen.

Ciska Veen is Head of the Department of Terrestrial Ecology at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) and Special Professor in the Soil Biology Group at Wageningen University & Research. Her research focuses on the role of soil organisms in ecosystems and on applying knowledge from natural ecosystems to support sustainable agriculture and nature management.