We are proud to announce that Dr. Toon Haer has been appointed as the new Managing Director of the ASI Climate Expertise Centre. In this role, Toon represents the Centre and collaborates with partners on both a regional and national level.
Dr. Toon Haer is no stranger to bridging the gap between research and implementation. As an Assistant Professor at IVM VU, he specializes in equitable adaptation and climate justice, ensuring that climate solutions are not only effective but also fair. Many in the region know his work from the RESILIO project (smart blue-green roofs). By combining water storage capabilities with urban cooling, this project stands as a perfect example of the impactful, multi-benefit solutions he advocates for in his research.
Key examples of such collaboration include the Academic Workspace Climate Adaptation, a partnership with the Municipality of Amsterdam, Water Authority Amstel, Gooi en Vecht (AGV), and the North Sea Canal Area Program Office (PB NZKG).
Building upon this network, one of his first initiatives is the collaboration with climate network SEVEN (University of Amsterdam) and partners to set up the KIN-Hub MRA pilot, which has recently been granted by the NWO-financed Climate Research Initiative Netherlands (KIN).
While SEVEN acts as the coordinator for the hub, the ASI Climate Expertise Centre joins as a core partner to bridge the gap between academic research and local policy. The other partners in the consortium are Centre of Expertise City Net Zero of Hogeschool van Amsterdam, the Chief Science Officer and the Climate Adaptation Program of the Gemeente Amsterdam, and Waterschap Amstel, Gooi en Vecht (AGV).
The ASI Climate Expertise Centre invites researchers, policymakers, and professionals working on climate adaptation in the MRA to connect with us. Together, we can build this platform into a lasting engine for regional climate resilience.