Our current funding supports research projects in large national and international consortia, as well as collaborations within and across research groups at IBED, within the Netherlands or abroad. Most of our research projects are directly related to our research themes.

Current projects with funding include:

• ARISE (Authoritative and Rapid Identification System for Essential biodiversity information). A 10-year large-scale research infrastructure project funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) under their National Roadmap (18 Mio EUR in total, 0.1 FTE scientific coordination, one 3.5 year Postdoc, one assistant project manager, one biodiversity monitoring technician, 9/2020–9/2030). The aim is to deliver a unique end-to-end infrastructure for the interpretation of evidence of the occurrence of species from digital sensors (including cameras, sound devices and radar) and eDNA. [Team lead monitoring demonstration sites, deployment of digital sensors in the field, automated data streams, and integration of multi-sensor data]

• EuropaBON (Europa Biodiversity Observation Network: integrating data streams to support policy). A Horizon 2020 coordination and support action funded by the European Commission (3 Mio EUR in total, 12/2020–11/2023, 0.1 FTE scientific coordination, one 2-year Postdoc). The aim is to co-design the future EU-wide biodiversity observation network. [Work package lead of 'WP4 Co-design of monitoring system', consortium coordination team, co-design of EBV workflows]

• LifeWatch Virtual Laboratory Innovation Center (LW-VLIC), the Netherlands. Funded by LifeWatch-ERIC, a European Research Infrastructure Consortium with focus on biodiversity and ecosystem research (0.2 FTE scientific coordination + 2 full-time positions for scientific developers, 12/2020-12/2023). The aim is to develop workflows, data products, and virtual labs for applications in ecology and biodiversity science, with a focus on LiDAR, remote sensing and Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs). [Scientific coordination, LiDAR virtual lab, EBV workflows]

• 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 (20 Mio EUR in total, 0.1 FTE scientific coordination + three 3-4 year Postdoc and Data Scientist positions, 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. [Steering board, Co-PI, work package lead of 'WP4. Data mobilization, integration and FAIRification']

• MAMBO (Modern approaches to the monitoring of biodiversity). A Horizon Europe research and innovation action funded by the European Commission (5 Mio EUR in total, 9/2022–9/2026, 0.06 FTE scientific coordination, one 2-year Postdoc, one 2-year Scientific Developer). Our main task is to automate the execution of workflows for habitat condition metrics from LiDAR and drone imagery for EU habitat monitoring. [Task lead & scientific coordination, automating workflow deployment]

• 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, 2023–2026). 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 & co-supervisor]

• Vulnerability of Arctic migratory birds to rapid climate change. Funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) under the Netherlands Polar Programme policy-driven call (1 Mio EUR in total, 3/2021–2/2025, 2-year Postdoc). 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. [Co-PI, work package lead of 'WP3: Important Arctic Bird Areas: current and future distribution', modelling Arctic bird areas]

• Energy and nutrient budget of the nature reserve Oostvaardersplassen. Funded by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Nature (LNV) and the Dutch Province of Flevoland. The research project is the “Nature Research Oostvaardersplassen” component part of the Spatial Planning of National Park Nieuwland research project (1 Mio EUR attributed to nature research in the Oostvaardersplassen, incl. 1 PhD position [450 k EUR] for research on the energy and nutrient budget of the dry land of the Oostvaardersplassen). The aim is to investigate the dynamics of the nutrient and energy fluxes in the Oostvaardersplassen and how trophic interactions between soil organisms, biomass production and grazing regime influence these budgets. [Co-Promoter of PhD student]

Recently finished projects:

• 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. [PI & project coordination]

• eEcoLiDAR, an Accelerating Scientific Discovery (ASDI) project for developing an eScience infrastructure for ecological applications of LiDAR point clouds. Related to research theme LiDAR. Funded by the Netherlands eScience Center. [PI & project coordination, 4-year PhD position, 1 FTE eScience engineer]

• Global Ecology & Biodiversity, several projects to conduct research on global biodiversity patterns and ecosystem functioning, human impacts on biodiversity, biogeography of species interactions, and global changes in ecosystems, biodiversity and ecosystem services. Related to research themes macroecology and biotic interactions. Funding support from the University of Amsterdam Faculty Research Cluster ‘Global Ecology’ and from a University of Amsterdam starting grant. [PI & project coordination, 3-year Postdoc position]

• Frugivory & palm diversification, a project to investigate how fruit-eating animals have influenced the macroevolution of palms. Related to research theme macroecology. Funded by the Dutch Science Foundation (NWO). [PI & project coordination, 3-year Postdoc position]

• GLOBIS-B, a Horizon 2020 project to facilitate the collaboration of biodiversity research infrastructures through applying the concept of Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs). Supported by GEO BON and funded by the European Commission.