I have an MSc in Physical Geography from Utrecht University (NL) on slope stability analysis in Colombia (1995) and a PhD in Physical Geography from Utrecht University on the application of 2D flood propagation models for hazard and risk assessment (2007). I currently work at the University of Twente (Enschede, the Netherlands), Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (the former International Institute of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation - also known as ITC). Within the research group on Natural Hazards and Disaster Risk Management - chaired by Prof. Dr. V. Jetten - I deal with flood related topics. My research interest lies primarily in flood risk assessment in developing countries - with a focus on SE-Asia (Thailand, Vietnam). The focus on developing countries I find particularly interesting because there is (usually) less data to work with, while the need for risk assessment - and appropriate methodologies that can be applied within these specific contexts - is very high.

My teaching focuses on supervision of MSc-students during their research activities, although I contribute to the classroom teaching during the topics "Process Modeling" and "Multi-Hazard Risk Assessment" (see www.itc.nl/disaster-management). I also give guest lectures at the Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok, Thailand, at the Post Graduate Institute of Science in Kandy, Sri Lanka, at the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing in Dehra Dun, India and at the Water Resources University in Hanoi, Vietnam. 

ITC hosts also the UNU-school for Disaster Geo-Information Management (see www.itc.nl/unu-dgim). Within that school I coordinate a network of Universities in SE-Asia that collaborate on training and research in the field of geo-information for disaster management. I also contribute to numerous courses conducted in the region.

 At ITC my research falls under the chair of Disaster Management (see: www.itc.nl/4D-EARTH), which aims i) at better prediction of Geo-hazards integrating spatial modeling and earth observation information, and ii) at a better integration of socio-economic factors and technical factors in risk assessment and disaster management. My research deals with i) the application of hydro-dynamic models for hazard and risk assessment; ii) developing probabilistic risk assessment methodologies for disaster risk management; and iii) multi-hazard risk assessment.

Current PhD studies (as supervisor):

Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hai Van (2007): "Multi-hazard risk assessment for an urbanized mountainous area in Vietnam" (ITC).

Activities in capacity development