dr. RC (Roeland) van de Vijsel
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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 and conducted laboratory and field measurements to support model assumptions.
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 work as postdoctoral researcher within Prof. Ton Hoitink's NWO Vici project Deltas out of Shape. My focus is on identifying tipping points in river deltas worldwide. The challenge will be in bridging between theoretical concepts from dynamical systems theory and highly complex real-world delta systems. Within the Deltas out of Shape team, we combine idealized and high-complexity modelling with field and remote sensing data.
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