dr. MJA (Marjolijn) Christianen

dr. MJA (Marjolijn) Christianen

Associate Professor Marine Ecology

Marjolijn Christianen is an Associate Professor of Marine Ecology and joined the Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management Group at Wageningen University, The Netherlands in 2018. After her Ph.D. (2013) on seagrass and sea turtle ecology in Indonesia, she worked as a researcher at Groningen University and Nijmegen university on food web ecology, coastal ecosystem restoration, and tracking of megafauna with fieldwork in the Caribbean and the North Sea and the Wadden Sea. She also worked as a scientific advisor for an Ecological consultancy (Bureau Waardenburg) in 2017.

As a marine ecologist, she is fascinated about feedbacks between coastal organisms that change their environment (e.g. seagrass, shellfish reefs, mangroves) and marine management (e.g. protection of charismatic megafauna) in the context of climate change. Her research line focuses on exploring how and where can we rewild coastal marine ecosystems in ways that enhance resilience in the face of global change. Her team uses ecological field experiments, collects data on food webs, biogeochemistry, plant physiology, spatial ecology, and animal behavior, and increasingly gets interested in developing drone and machine learning technology to explore where rewilding can enhance ecosystem resilience. Most of her current work centers around a VENI project and a NESSC project. Her aim in conducting research is to contribute scientifically sound input to enhance the responsible management of coastal marine ecosystems. To ensure that research results are also applied she is actively communicating science to the wider public through her blog, media, teaching, art, and intense collaborations with nature managers and policymakers.

For current and finalized projects see link "contact person for" on this page.

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