I have an MSc in Physical Geography (1988) from Utrecht University in the Netherlands, and a PhD in Physical Geography from Utrecht University on tropical rainforest hydrology and the effects of logging in Guyana (1994), working for the Tropenbos foundation. After that I worked for 3.5 years as a postdoc researcher at the Institute National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA) in France where I developed the modelling tools for erosion of Loess soils under high intensity agriculture. From 1998 to 2006 I worked as assistant professor at the Dept. of Physical Geography of the Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University.

Since 2006, I am full professor in Natural Hazards and Disaster Risk Management at ITC

From 2011-2013 I was vice-dean for Education of the faculty.

Since 2013 I am head of the Department of Earth Systems Analysis.

Expertise

Throughout my career I have been working in modelling of natural hazard and land degradation processes. Starting with biomass and grazing capacity, the effects of logging on the natural rain forest water balance, I moved to soil erosion and land degradation processes as a result of land use change and overgrazing. I think however that all these processes should not be studied and modeled as separate disciplines but in a much more holistic way. In the context of Natural Disasters stakeholders are confronted with chains of multiple hazards: such an earthquake leading to landslides leading to blockage of river systems leading to flash floods (such as happened in Wenchuan in 2008 and Nepal in 2016). Each subsequent extreme rainfall triggers landslides and extreme erosion, forging possibly more change in these areas than several decades of climate change, and wiping out years of development. I think science has to be useful for society and my aim is to provide timely and actionable spatial information in disaster preparedness, prevention and response. To this end I develop together with PhD researchers the opensource model openLISEM, that is able to simulate runoff, river discharge, floods, erosion and deposition and debris flows, in an integrated and spatially detailed way.

Creator of the new MSc Spatial Engineering, starting in September 2017: see here.

In the MSc GEO of ITC I give modules on integrated hazard modelling (modules 7 and 13) and supervise MSc students.

Curriculum development: MSc Integrated Disaster Management at the Water Resources University in Hanoi, Vietnam (Nuffic).

Since 2016 I am director of the IRDR International Center of Excellence on Spatial Decision Support for integrated Disaster Risk Reduction. This center integrates all DRR related research at ITC: here

For the PhD's currently in our 4DEARTH research programme, see here

Activities in capacity development

• Member of the "think tank" for to Red Cross Princess Margriet Fund programme "voorkom de ramp"
• Co-organized Red Cross/HOT/OSM: Mapping for Malawi
• Various Tailor Made Training and refresher course in land degradation and flood hazard modelling (Rwanda, Thailand, Caribbean, India, Myanmar).
• CHARIM. (2013-2016) Caribbean Handbook on Disaster Information Management. This World Bank projectwith funding from ACP-EU Natural Disaster REduction Programme developed an on-line handbook to support the generation and application of landslide and flood hazard and risk information to inform projects and program of planning and infrastructure sectors, specifically targeted to small countries in the Caribbean region.
• DESIRE. (2006-2011). Coordinator of WB4 in the FP6 Integrated Project DESIRE, a global project to combat desertification in 18 countries around the world comparing stakeholder based land management practices with scientific research.
• GHITRA. (2010-2011). ITC was lead partner in the Geo-information Technology for Hazard Risk Assessment (GITHRA) project in Vietnam, funded by the Asian Development Bank. Aim was to build capacity on the application of modern Geo-IT for Hazard Risk Assessment (HRA) and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and to develop a spatial multi-hazard risk assessment methodology applicable for Vietnam. Staff of the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and its Disaster Risk Management related agencies and programs (CCFSC, DDMFSC, DMC). A Vietnamese version was made of the Multi-Hazard Risk Assessment Guidebook, and Exercise Book. 
• Member of the International Geographical Union, Commission for Risk and Hazard (2008-2011): http://www.igu-net.org/
• Board member of the United Nations University school of Disaster Geo-information Management (2010-2015): http://www.itc.nl/unu/dgim
• Various EU projects and COST related to land degradation.