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I’m an Associate Professor in the Environmental Sciences section at the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development of Utrecht University, Netherlands. I graduated as an environmental scientist and hold a PhD in wetland restoration ecology from the Free University of Amsterdam. My research and teaching focus on the impact of environmental change on ecosystems and community dynamics in the context of nature conservation, targeting the main anthropogenic drivers of biodiversity loss and societal sustainability transformations. My ecological work emphasizes the role of nitrogen and phosphorus in structuring plant communities. I am specifically interested in how changes in nutrient stoichiometry affect plant traits, drive competitive interactions, and influence the dispersal capacity of species in landscapes. Utilizing insights from my research, I aim to design effective conservation measures. Recognizing cases that contribute to environmental change related to unsustainable agriculture, I work on enhancing the sustainability of food systems. My projects include transdisciplinary studies that empower sustainable farming initiatives and build knowledge networks for designing transition pathways toward sustainable food systems. I specifically focus on the interaction between individual motivations, competences, and the agency of farmers and stakeholders within political and economic structures during food system transitions.
Department of Psychology