Last Wednesday, I received my PhD in the Aula of the University of Amsterdam, the culmination of just over four years of oh so much hard work, but oh so much fun. My first graduation ceremony since my last swimming diploma in primary school, so it’s been a while.
My thesis, “Matterful moments: Understanding, predicting, and protecting mass movements of birds in a human-altered landscape”, brings together my fascination with birds, weather and anything that goes on above our heads. Using weather radar, ecological simulations, machine learning and citizen-science data, I studied the brief periods when huge numbers of birds take to the skies: the ‘matterful moments’ when our skies are full of ‘matter’, and our actions matter because they can make a big difference for conservation.
Much of this work focuses on wind energy, from developing a forecasting model to time wind turbine shutdowns during peak migration, to mapping bird movements to inform where we place energy infrastructure. Working with people who can put that knowledge into practice, and sharing the science beyond academia, have been among the most rewarding parts of these years.
A heartfelt thank you to my supervisors, Judy Shamoun-Baranes, Emiel van Loon and Adriaan Dokter, and to Willem Bouten, who first planted the idea of doing a PhD in my head. Thank you for sharing my curiosity, challenging me, giving me freedom, and showing me how fun and rewarding science with a practical purpose can be. Thank you also to my doctoral committee (André de Roos, Bart Nolet, Simon Watson, Silke Bauer, W. Daniel Kissling, Kyle Horton) for reading, discussing and challenging the work.
And to my colleagues, collaborators and friends: thank you for the ideas exchanged over far too much coffee, the shared enthusiasm, the travels, and the friendships that grew well beyond our work. A special thank you to my paranymphs, Hans Linssen and Sara Linde Neven: after years of office chats, intense debates and adventures outside work, it meant so much to have you by my side.
I’m eternally grateful to everyone who joined my big day, whether in person, online or in spirit, despite it being a regular Wednesday for most. I had an absolute whale of a time from the moment I stepped onto the stage. I’m looking forward to reconnecting with so many of you now that the PhD dust can settle.
A new adventure has already begun: I’ve started as a postdoc at Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, continuing at the intersection of ecology and renewable energy. Broadening my focus beyond flying wildlife, I’ll explore how biodiversity is considered in energy planning and how we can do better. This work is part of the BIOGAIN project, which explores how better biodiversity information can inform renewable energy planning, helping us expand renewables to curb climate change while also working towards more nature and healthier ecosystems.