I am currently involved in the following research projects:
EuropaBON (Europa Biodiversity Observation Network: integrating data streams to support policy). A Horizon 2020 research and innovation action funded by the European Commission (10% of my time, one 2-year Postdoc, 3 Mio EUR in total, 12/2020–11/2023). The aim is to design an EU-wide framework for monitoring biodiversity and ecosystem services. [My role: work package leader of 'WP4. Co-design of monitoring system', member of consortium coordination team, postdoc supervisor] [GitHub]
LTER-LIFE (Digital Twins of ecosystems in a changing world). A 10-year large-scale research infrastructure funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) under their National Roadmap (10% of my time, three 3-4 year Postdoc and Data Scientist positions, >18 Mio EUR in total, 7/2023–6/2033). This new e-infrastructure will allow to build Digital Twins of ecosystems and to study and predict how changes in climate and other human-induced pressures affect ecosystems and biodiversity. [My role: Co-PI, work package leader of 'WP4. Data mobilization, integration and FAIRification', steering board member, postdoc supervisor] [GitHub]
MAMBO (Modern Approaches to the Monitoring of BiOdiversity). A Horizon Europe research and innovation action funded by the European Commission (5% of my time, one 2-year Postdoc, one 2-year Scientific Developer, 5 Mio EUR in total, 9/2022–9/2026). My main task is to advance the automated execution of workflows for habitat condition metrics from LiDAR and drone imagery for EU habitat monitoring. [My role: task lead & coordination, postdoc supervisor]
ARISE (Authoritative and Rapid Identification System for Essential biodiversity information). A 10-year large-scale research infrastructure funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) under their National Roadmap (5% of my time, one 3.5-year Data Scientist, one 5-year Assistant Project Manager, one 2-year Biodiversity Monitoring Technician, 18 Mio EUR in total, 9/2020–9/2030). The aim is to build an infrastructure for species recognition and biodiversity monitoring using digital sensors (e.g. cameras, sound devices and radar) and eDNA. [My role: team lead monitoring demonstration sites]
Vulnerability of Arctic migratory birds to rapid climate change. Funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) under the Netherlands Polar Programme policy-driven call (one 2-year Postdoc, 1 Mio EUR in total, 3/2021–2/2025). The aim is to integrate existing and novel bird data at individual and population level with state-of-the-art climate model simulations and vegetation modelling to assess the vulnerability of arctic migrants to rapid climate change. [My role: Co-PI, work package leader of 'WP3: Important Arctic Bird Areas: current and future distribution', postdoc supervisor]
RIVAGE (Revisit Island Vulnerability during the Anthropocene Geologic Era). A working group funded by the French Foundation for Research on Biodiversity (FRB) through the Centre for the Synthesis and Analysis of Biodiversity (CESAB) (one 2-year Postdoc based at CESAB in Montpellier, France + funding for six workshops with 14 members of an international consortium, 2024–2026). The aim is to assess the vulnerability of insular assemblages (birds, plants, and mammals) to climate change, land use change and biological invasions, taking into account multiple facets of diversity. [My role: Co-PI & postdoc co-supervisor]
TABMON (Towards a Transnational Acoustic Biodiversity MOnitoring Network). Funded by Biodiversa+ through the BiodivMon call entitled ‘Improved transnational monitoring of biodiversity and ecosystem change for science and society’ (one 18-month Postdoc, 1.3 Mio EUR in total, 1/2024–1/2027). Consortium with Norway (NINA), Netherlands (UvA, TiU, SOVON, CBS Statistics Netherlands), France (Université de Toulon), and Spain (CTFC). The aim is to apply autonomous acoustic sensing to transnational biodiversity monitoring across a large latitudinal range in Europe. [My role: work package leader of 'WP3 Data integration and EBV showcases' & postdoc supervisor]
Automated Biodiversity Monitoring Stations (ABMS) pilot (“Automated monitoring of birds, bats and nocturnal insects through sound and image recognition”). A European pilot with 10–15 countries as active contributors, directly funded by Biodiversa+ and carried out by Biodiversa+ partners or their third parties (4 PMs to implement the activities + sensor equipment & travel, 110,000 EUR, 1/2024–12/2025). [My role: coordination and supervision of Dutch contribution].
The following research projects have finished:
LidarAirCloud (Enabling biodiversity applications of ecosystem structure EBVs through massive processing of LiDAR data from airborne laser scanning surveys in cloud environments). Funded by Microsoft through its AI for Earth Grant program (15 k EUR, 12/2020–11/2021). The aim is to use the Microsoft Azure Cloud, a novel open-source software package and a High Throughput Computing (HTC) workflow to process massive amounts of airborne laser scanning data into Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs) data products of ecosystem structure. [My role: PI & project coordinator]
eEcoLiDAR (eEcoLiDAR, eScience infrastructure for Ecological applications of LiDAR point clouds: reconstructing the 3D ecosystem structure for animals at regional to continental scales). Funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) through an ASDI (Accelerating Scientific Discovery) grant via the Netherlands eScience Center (1 PhD student + eScience Research Engineer, >200 k EUR, 6/2017–5/2021). The aim is to quantify and map the vertical and horizontal complexity of vegetation at high resolution across broad spatial scales using Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology. [My role: PI & project coordinator]
Global Ecology & Biodiversity: funding from the University of Amsterdam Faculty Research Cluster ‘Global Ecology’ and through a starting grant from the University of Amsterdam (UvA) (1 Postdoc, 400 k EUR in total). The aim is to quantify the broad-scale distribution of life on Earth, to conduct research on global biodiversity and conservation prioritization, and how global change drivers affect biodiversity and ecosystems. [My role: PI & project coordinator]
Frugivory & palm diversification: an 'ALW Open Programme' grant for a Postdoc entitled 'Has frugivory influenced the macroecology and diversification of a tropical keystone plant family?', obtained from the Dutch Research Council (NWO) (1 Postdoc, >230 k EUR). [My role: PI & project coordinator]
GLOBIS-B ('GLOBal Infrastructures for Supporting Biodiversity research'). A coordination & support action funded by the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Framework Programme (1 Mio EUR). [My role: PI & scientific coordinator]