Dr. Tim Busker is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Department of Water and Climate Risk at the Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. His expertise lies in flood and drought early-warning systems and impact-based forecasting.
In 2024, Tim completed his PhD with the thesis “Anticipating Weather and Climate Extremes: The Value of Early Action to Reduce Disaster Impacts.” His research focuses on developing methods to translate forecasts into actionable, impact-based warnings—supporting early action in regions such as East Africa and Europe. He is currently involved in the JCAR-ATRACE project, studying flood early-warning systems in the Netherlands and neighboring countries. He works on developing new impact-based flood forecasting models, on which he also supervises several MSc and PhD students.
Before joining VU, Tim worked as a lecturer and researcher at the Flood Resilience Group at IHE Delft, where he focused on anticipatory water management in Alexandria, Egypt. He holds a cum laude Bachelor’s degree in Earth & Economics (specializing in GIS) from VU Amsterdam, and a Master’s degree in Earth Surface and Water from Utrecht University, where he followed specialized tracks in GIS and remote sensing.
Tim has received several awards for his work, including the OSPP Award from the European Geoscience Union (2023) and a presentation award from the International Water Association (2019).
