Rik Leemans

BIOGRAPHY

ACADEMIC POSITION:
• 2003-present: Professor, Chair Group Environmental Systems Analysis, Wageningen University
• 2005-present: Director WIMEK Graduate School and chair Board SENSE
• 2007-present: Chair Science Committee Earth Systems Science Partnership

EDUCATION AND PREVIOUS POSITIONS:
• 1976-1983: Drs Biology University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands
• 1983-1989: PhD Plant Ecology, Uppsala University, Sweden
• 1988-1990: Research Scholar, Biosphere Project, International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) Laxenburg, Austria
• 1990: Associate Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
• 1991-2003: Senior Researcher, Dutch National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM)
• 1996-2001: Project leader, IMAGE project, RIVM
• 2000-2003: Professor Integrated Land-use modelling, Chair Group Plant Production Systems, Wageningen University
• 2001-2005: Chair Responses Working Group of The Millenium Ecosystem Assessment

RESEARCH INTERESTS:
Prof Dr Leemans'’ early studies at Uppsala University (Sweden) emphasized the successional dynamics and structure of boreal forests. His subsequent research position at the Biosphere Project of the International Institute of Applied System Analyses (IIASA, Austria) focused on boreal forest models. Since then his research has excelled into modeling global environmental change at The Dutch Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and Wageningen University. He has also been instrumental in different science-policy assessments. His main research interests concern biodiversity, biogeochemical cycles, ecosystem services and sustainable development. Prof. Dr. Leemans has published many papers on a wide range of topics. These include forest dynamics, large-scale vegetation and crop distribution, global environmental databases, terrestrial C cycle and the importance of feedback processes, the incorporation of land-use change and other human dimensions into Earth system models, biodiversity, integrated assessment tools and, more recently, potential mitigation and adaptation options and strategies for environmental change.

HOME PAGE
http://www.esa.wur.nl/UK/Staff/Leemans/