As a paleoclimatologist, interested in reconstructions of past climates, I conduct research at the interface of geology, chemistry and biology. The main aim of my research is to improve the methods we have for reconstructing climate in the geologic past in high detail. Examples of such high-resolution climate reconstructions include reconstructions of seasonality, weather patterns and decadal variability in climate over long timescales (in "deep time"). Fossil bioarchives such as mollusc shells record changes in the environment in which the animal grew at this fine detail, and therefore form ideal archives for these reconstructions.
In my research, I combine detailed analyses of microstructures and chemistry in these fossils as well as in modern organisms, through controlled and monitored culturing experiments, to learn more about how the chemistry of these bioarchives records environmental conditions, and how we can use these fossils for accurate reconstructions of high-resolution paleoclimate.
In addition, I also strife to improve analytical methods that enable us to measure chemical variability in bioarchives with high precision and accuracy. These methods include stable and clumped isotope analysis, laser ablation (MC-)ICP-MS and micro X-Ray Fluorescence.
Awards
- FWO Climate Prize 2024, Flemish Research Council
- Eos Pipet Award 2021, Eos & Belgian Young Academy
- Outstanding Early Career Scientist Award 2021, European Geosciences Union (EGU)
- Steven Cohen Award for Student Research 2017, Society of Vertebrate Palaeontology.
Research Grants
- NWO M2 grant 2025: PAST - A Proxy-model Alliance to decode STorms in warmer climates (PI, 4 years project supporting 2 PhD positions)
- NWO XS grant 2023: How to transition into a greenhouse climate: Seasonal temperature reconstructions from fossil oyster shells (PI, 5 month postdoctoral project)
- NWO VENI grant 2022: MACRO: More Accurate Climate Reconstructions from fOssil water in bivalve shells (PI, 4 years postdoctoral project)
- NIOZ-UU collaboration grant 2021: Extreme midlatitude seasonality in a hothouse climate? (co-PI, 4 years PhD project)
- FWO Junior Postdoctoral Fellowship 2019: 12ZB220N: Improving the accuracy of techniques of high-resolution seasonal-scale climate reconstructions from bivalve shells (PI, 3 years postdoctoral project)
- Marie Curie (MSCA) Individual Fellowship 2018: UNBIAS: Unravelling BIvAlve Shell chemistry: Advanced Techniques for Accurate Reconstructions of Sub-annual Climate (PI, 2 years postdoc)
- FWO Instrument & Infrastructure grant 2017: IO10218N: A walk on the wild side of stable isotope biogeochemistry (co-PI)
- IWT (now FWO) Strategic Basic Research Fellowship 2014: IWT700 Sub annual cyclicity in modern and palaeoclimate archives: Resolving seasonality in deep time (PI, 4 year PhD fellowship)
Education
- PhD Paleoclimatology | Vrije Universiteit Brussel | 2014-02-01 - 2019-02-22
- MSc Earth. Life and Climate | Utrecht University | 2011-09-01 - 2013-10-30
- BSc Earth Sciences | Utrecht University | 2008-09-01 - 2011-07-30
