dr. RC (Roeland) van de Vijsel

By training I am a physicist (BSc) and physical oceanographer (MSc). During my studies at Utrecht University, I developed a strong interest in environmental fluid mechanics and in biological-physical interactions.

This brought me to the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) in Yerseke, where I did my PhD research on the feedbacks between tidal water flow, sediment dynamics and biology in coastal wetlands (e.g., tidal flats and marshes). These biogeomorphic feedbacks give rise to self-organized spatial patterns, which strongly affect ecosystem functioning and resilience. For my PhD research, I developed idealized mathematical models (see video below) and conducted laboratory and field measurements.

After that, I moved to Mallorca (Spain) to work as a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for Cross-Disciplinary Physics and Complex Systems (IFISC). There, I focused on pattern formation in seagrass ecosystems and the interactions between seagrass dynamics and wave forcing. I developed an idealized mathematical model that shows how self-organized seagrass patterns lead to optimized ocean wave reflection.

At WUR, I have been working as postdoctoral researcher within the Deltas out of Shape project. In our review paper we highlight the key regime shifts in 47 river deltas worldwide, possible resilience indicators to prevent these shifts and ways to promote back-tipping to more favorable states.

I am now working as an Assistant Professor at WUR. My research focuses on self-reinforcing feedbacks in hydrology and environmental hydraulics, and the impact of these feedbacks on the dynamics and resilience of systems such as rivers, estuaries and wetlands. My research methods include modeling, remote sensing, flume and field work. I am happy to supervise BSc and MSc thesis students, and am involved in teaching courses including Geophysical Fluid Mechanics and Morphodynamics in Rivers, Estuaries and Deltas.

You can follow my research updates on LinkedIn, ResearchGate, Google Scholar and Bluesky.