Testimonials
Testimonials of students
It's important that we continue to study the environment around us, promoting knowledge and therefore solutions to Earth's facing threats.
- Previous education
- BA Environmental Science (University of Louisville)
- Nationality
- American
- Programme
- Conservation and Restoration Ecology
- Study start date
- Study end date
Master's student Maddy Cicha is studying Conservation and Restoration Ecology at Radboud University.
What do you like about the programme/specialisation and why? How has the programme/specialisation challenged you (in relation to your previous education)?
The Conservation and Restoration Ecology programme has challenged me to not only think outside the box when experimenting and understanding ecological concepts, but it's also extremely hands-on. The programme also allows a lot of flexibility, so you can decide what you want to research and learn more about.
What do you think about the atmosphere in class?
The professors, post-docs, and PhD candidates of the Ecology department are devoted to inspiring students. Developing a relationship with them, and the rest of the Ecology department, has been extremely rewarding.
Are you currently doing an internship? Or what is your thesis about?
I'm currently studying the potential for phytoremediation of PFAS in our soils.
Why do you think it is important that there are people with this degree? What are your plans once you have received your Master's degree?
It's important that we continue to study the environment around us, promoting knowledge and therefore solutions to Earth's facing threats.
Hands-on courses with a practical focus are always great and very important in Ecology, but to my slight surprise I also really liked the ones with a more philosophical approach.
- Previous education
- BSc Biology (Radboud University)
- Nationality
- German
- Programme
- Conservation and Restoration Ecology
- Study start date
- Study end date
Master's student Felix Duzinski is studying Conservation and Restoration Ecology at Radboud University.
What do you like about the programme/specialisation and why? How has the programme/specialisation challenged you (in relation to your previous education)?
I have been thoroughly enjoying almost every course I have taken in my Master's, as well as my internship/thesis. Of course, hands-on courses with a practical focus are always great and very important in Ecology, but to my slight surprise I also really liked the ones with a more philosophical approach. They did challenge my previous opinions in many cases and made me think differently about science in some ways.
What do you think about the atmosphere in class?
The atmosphere in the Ecology department is super relaxed and the teachers and researchers are very motivated to pass on their knowledge to the students. In the classrooms there is also always room for debates and generally people are very active.
What do you find most challenging in your Master’s (specialisation)? Have you encountered any obstacles?
In some cases it wasn't possible to take all the courses I wanted since they were all offered in the same time slots which derailed my planning for a bit. Besides that, it can be challenging to find an internship and it's important to start that process early.
Are you currently doing an internship? Or what is your thesis about?
In my thesis I was studying microbial communities in Arctic lakes associated with methane cycling. We were hoping to shed more light on the processes there to ultimately improve future predictions of methane emissions from the Arctic which will become ever-more resilient under climate change.
Why do you think it is important that there are people with this degree? What are your plans once you have received your Master's degree?
Especially in the current political and social climate, to me it's very important that there are people out there fighting for nature and spreading knowledge on how to protect it from the threats it's facing.
My internships and written assignments have allowed me to explore topics I am interested in.
- Previous education
- BSc Zoology at The University of Manchester
- Nationality
- American
- Programme
- Conservation and Restoration Ecology
- Country of previous education
- United Kingdom
- Study start date
- Study end date
Molly Dugan is a Master's student Conservation and Restoration Ecology.
What do you like about the programme/specialisation and why?
My internships and written assignments have allowed me to explore topics I am interested in. I have become much better at setting my own projects with less external guidance.
What do you think about the atmosphere in class?
Teachers and advisors are friendly and helpful. I have met some entertaining classmates.
What do you find most challenging in your Master’s?
A lot more of the motivation around internships has to come from me.
Are you currently doing an internship?
I am doing an internship on the trade-offs between carbon crediting projects and biodiversity conservation.
What are your plans once you have received your Master's degree?
I would like to go into research on insect ecology, with a focus on behavioral ecology.
Testimonials of teachers and researchers
I think that you can only learn ecology by doing. Being outside; observing and experimenting!
- Programme
- Conservation and Restoration Ecology
Bjorn Robroek is an associate professor at Radboud University.
Can you introduce yourself?
My name is Bjorn Robroek and I am an ecologist at the Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences. I teach or have taught in many courses in the BSc – e.g. Ecology (yr 1), Systems Ecology (yr 3) – and the MSc Conservation and Restoration Ecology programme – e.g. Management of Ecosystems, Field course Alpine Ecology. I am also a member of the Educational Programme Committee and the BSc Ecology track coordinator.
I have been teaching since I was a PhD student (2003-2007) and have continued doing so throughout my career. As of now, I have over 20 years of teaching experience in a wide international context (I worked in Switzerland, Sweden, and the UK before coming to Radboud University).
Why did you choose to study/work in this field? What makes this field so interesting?
Ecological systems are great to work in. Not only is it fascinating to try to understand how ecosystems work and how their functioning is affected by climate and environmental change, but it is also of utmost importance to enhance our knowledge of if and how we can use ecosystems in our fight against climate change. I firmly believe that (semi-)natural ecosystems are our best allies in that fight. Ah yes, and as an ecologist, your office is often outside. Not bad at all, I would say!
What do you like best about being a lecturer?
I like the interaction with students; it keeps me young. I love it when I see students grow into becoming experts and young professionals. I often feel proud when I see students proceed and think that I perhaps played a small role in their academic and professional endeavours.
What are you currently doing your own research on?
With my team – Carrie Thomas, Yvet Telgenkamp, and Rosa Boone – I am trying to grasp the role of biodiversity and that of plant-microbe interactions on the resistance and resilience of ecosystems to climate change. We just came back from our field site in Southern Sweden where we run a long-term experiment that aims to understand the role of plants on biotic and abiotic processes in the peat soil. Every year, we bring BSc and MSc students to this site where they can experiment themselves.
What advice do you have for students making their study choice?
The first is to believe in yourself; you do not need to be the smartest person in the world to achieve your goals. With a good portion of enthusiasm, you can go a long way. Second, follow your own path. Third, talk to lecturers and make them part of your choices. Very often they want the best for you as well.
What does your work in practice bring to your academic work, and vice versa?
My work as a researcher and my role as a teacher are very mixed. I think that you can only learn ecology by doing. Being outside; observing and experimenting! I do that in my job as a researcher, but I also use this in my teaching.
What is the best part of being a lecturer?
I love to engage with students and get inspired; so many students have great ideas. I do not tend to think of a hierarchy at the university and tell my students that the only reason I am teaching is because I have more experience. To me, that feels liberating!
I study Earth’s elemental cycles and their microbial and chemical controls. I specifically look at elements that are important to life.
- Programme
- Conservation and Restoration Ecology
On 1 October 2022, prof. dr. ir. Caroline Slomp was appointed professor at the Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences (RIBES). In this interview, you will learn more about her research and her activities at Radboud University. “We want to understand how natural systems function.”
Geomicrobiology and biogeochemistry: what is this field about?
“I study Earth’s elemental cycles and their microbial and chemical controls. I specifically look at elements that are important to life. I do this on different time scales: I look at present-day cycles, but also try to reconstruct elemental cycles in the geological past.”
What is an elemental cycle?
Elemental cycles are the biogeochemical pathways by which elements are transformed and moved through various states by biological, chemical and geological processes.
What topics are you working on right now?
“We study marine areas that suffer from a lack of oxygen near the seafloor. Oxygen depletion has all kinds of effects: for example, it impacts microbes, cycles of nutrients such as those of nitrogen and phosphate, and the dynamics of the greenhouse gas methane. Seas change dramatically when there is a lack of oxygen. Our goal is to unravel how the microbial and chemical processes and the interactions between the various elemental cycles change upon marine oxygen loss. A key question is how much methane produced in coastal environments escapes to the atmosphere."
“Ultimately, we are interested in how the ocean responds to environmental change. Such changes can be caused by natural processes, but can also be caused by humans. We want to understand both the natural drivers and the part that humans play, and how we can restore ecosystems.”
“By the way, I always say we, because we do this research in teams. I not only have my own team, but we also involve a large number of collaborators in each project. Collaborating is also one of the things I am looking forward to the most in my job at RIBES: my research matches RIBES’ mission: towards healthy ecosystems. I would like to collaborate with people working on present-day ecosystems and the various biological components in these. I would love to hear from colleagues who are interested in that!”
Which projects will you be working on, here at Radboud University?
“One of my projects, the ERC Synergy project MARIX, already started before I joined Radboud University. It is a collaboration with the department of Microbiology (with Mike Jetten, a.o.). It’s a very large project in which we study the removal of methane and ammonium from coastal areas.
In such coastal areas, most methane is produced in the seafloor. Most of that methane is removed by microbes – the microbial filter. But there are also places where methane is emitted to the atmosphere, which is harmful to the environment, because methane is a strong greenhouse gas. We want to understand how this microbial filter for methane works exactly. We already know some of the pathways responsible for the methane removal but we have indications there are additional ones and we want to know how they work and what microbes are involved. We are doing the same for ammonium removal. That is important because high levels of ammonium are toxic to marine life.”
“In our project, we’re specifically looking at coastal areas, because they are impacted by humans and by climate change. In comparison to the ocean, they are relatively small ecosystems that can easily be disrupted. The oceans are also changing due to human activity by the way, but that is a different story. We see that our Dutch coastal waters have strongly changed over the past couple of decades. This is also happening globally. In this project, we are studying a number of carefully selected sites. One of those is the Dutch Lake Grevelingen. During the COVID crisis, a location in the Netherlands was very practical, as it allowed us to continue our field studies. We are also working in Swedish and Finnish coastal waters.”
Field studies and other research methods
“Field studies are an essential part of our research. We do not just want to do theoretical work at our desk. We also do that, but in the end we want to know what it is like in the real world. And that is often surprising: beforehand, you form an image of a certain place, based on literature or your own expectations. Once you see the place in real life you often aresurprised. That is also because the world is changing, rather quickly actually.”
“Personally, I combine field studies (such as in the Arabian Sea, Baltic Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, North Sea, and so on), experimental work, and modelling work. This fits with the research by environmental scientists and ecologists at RIBES. Moreover, I have talked about marine waters and the seafloor up till now, but I also study freshwater systems, which ties in with RIBES.”
What would you like to achieve with this project?
“We want to make mathematical models with which we can more accurately describe the chemistry and microbiology of coastal waters. Eventually, our goal is to develop models that can predict what happens with a coastal system when it is disturbed and how quickly it can recover. Crucial to these models is the inclusion of the role of microbes. If you only look at systems from a chemical point of view, you see the net processes, so you do not know what is going on exactly. Once you know what microbes are present in a certain place and how active they are, you can begin to unravel what processes are truly going on.”
Will you also be teaching?
“In 2023, I will contribute to the MSc course Microbiology of Aquatic Ecosystems. Besides that, I would like to develop a course on Geobiology. This fits with my research on geological time scales and is currently not really a part of the research at RIBES. Geobiology considers the relationship between the co-evolution of life and Earth. Elemental cycles are also an important part of this; just think of the appearance of oxygen in the atmosphere, 2.3 billion years ago. I have taught about the history of the Earth before and I am really looking forward to doing this again.”
More information
As emissions are not continuously the same, we have developed equipment to measure them 24/7. With this, we are leading the way worldwide.
- Programme
- Conservation and Restoration Ecology
Judith van der Knaap is an aquatic ecologist at Radboud University Nijmegen and conducts research on greenhouse gases in Dutch ditches. "In comparison to land, a relatively large amount of emissions come from ditches. I find that very interesting."
Much is known about processes in water, but not specifically about ditches.
"In the Paris Climate Agreement, there's a lot about what we need to do to counteract emissions. But there's nothing in it about our ditches, because little is known about them, yet so much happens in our ditches. That's why I can make a big contribution with my research," says Judith van der Knaap (30).
She is an aquatic ecologist and is in the third year of her research.
Netherlands Research Programme
The research is commissioned by the Netherlands Research Programme on Greenhouse Gas Dynamics in Peatlands and Organic Soils and is carried out with funding from the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, under the supervision of the Foundation for Applied Water Research (STOWA).
The doctoral candidate conducts fieldwork in the peatland area around Zegveld and the Nieuwkoopse Plassen.
Samples from Ditches
"We have done extensive research in Zegveld to see how much emission comes from ditches and which factors influence this. In addition, with a whole team, we took samples from 147 ditches throughout the Netherlands to see if a certain soil type or adjacent agriculture has an effect on the emission. That was really great to do together."
Gas Analysis Equipment
The aquatic ecologist is on the verge of the final part of her research. The TechnoCentre of Radboud University has developed equipment with Judith that can perform continuous measurements in the peatland area.
"Emissions are not continuously the same. They change under the influence of, for example, the weather. We have now developed sensors and gas analysis equipment that can carry out measurements in the water 24/7. This gives us more insight into which factors influence emissions and gives us a complete picture," she says proudly.
"It's super cool to help with that. With the development of that equipment, we are leading the way worldwide."
Emissions from Dredged Material
After completing her pre-university education diploma, Judith finishes her studies in Medical Biology. She enjoys it, but when she goes diving during a vacation, she realizes that she wants to do more with water.
She opts for the study of Biology with a master's in Conservation and Restoration Ecology. For this, she interns at the research center B-WARE, a spin-off company of the Department of Ecology at Radboud University.
Judith also researches greenhouse gases from dredged material.
"Dredging is often done to enable shipping traffic or to clean up waters. The dredged material then ends up in a depot, but the question is how much emission comes from it. That's what I was involved with during my internship. But even afterwards, I remained interested in it and was able to connect my second internship to it; greenhouse gas emissions from ditches. When the opportunity came to do doctoral research on this subject, it was a great opportunity."
Fieldwork in Waders
Judith enjoys her work as an aquatic ecologist. "The variety is the most enjoyable part: one week I'm doing fieldwork in waders, the next week I'm performing analyses of the samples I've taken in the laboratory and writing down my findings. I really enjoy doing research."
"Maybe I want to do a postdoc afterwards. And leading a project also seems very nice. In any case, I want to stay involved in research. Furthermore, I keep all options open."
I find it interesting and important to understand why species disappear, so that we can contribute to solutions to avert the biodiversity crisis.
- Nationality
- Nederlands
- Programme
- Conservation and Restoration Ecology
Koen is Assistant professor - Environmental Science at Radboud University in Nijmegen.
Can you introduce yourself?
I am Koen and have been working as a researcher and teacher in the Environmental Science department since 2020. I enjoy supervising theses of (Bachelor's and Master's) Biology students researching global changes in biodiversity and how humans influence this. Additionally, I greatly enjoy teaching various (Bachelor's and Master's) courses, such as Macroecology (BSc) and Biodiversity Assessment (MSc).
Why did you choose to study/work in this field? What makes this field so interesting?
Biodiversity is what makes earth so special and it is constantly changing (species emerge, change, and disappear). However, at present, so many species are disappearing in such a short time that we are heading toward a sixth mass extinction. I find it interesting and important to understand the causes so that we can contribute to solutions to avert the biodiversity crisis.
What are you currently researching?
I research on a global scale how biodiversity changes due to environmental changes caused by humans, such as habitat changes through land use and climate change through greenhouse gas emissions.
What tip do you have for students who are choosing their field of study? And what do you enjoy most about working with students?
Choose a study that you find both interesting and important! In my opinion, students can be an enormous source of inspiration for research but also for the continued development of education!
Important questions I focus on are: How do global warming and drought affect water quality, and how can negative effects be minimised?
- Programme
- Conservation and Restoration Ecology
Sarian Kosten is a professor at Radboud University.
Can you introduce yourself?
My name is Sarian Kosten, and I am an aquatic ecologist. I have a broad interest in the impact of global change on freshwater ecosystems. Important questions I focus on are: How do global warming and drought affect water quality, and how can negative effects be minimised? And: How does climate change affect aquatic greenhouse gas emissions?
I work in different types of systems, including lakes, ditches, and fishponds in the Netherlands and abroad (principally in South America).
Why did you choose to study/work in this field? What makes this field so interesting?
I have been fascinated by life underwater since I was little: the typical image of a child with a net catching frogs, fish, and other creatures. I have also always been concerned about and interested in environmental issues. The choice to study aquatic ecology was an easy one. I like to understand how things work, but also try to find solutions to problems. In my research field, these two topics can easily be combined.
What are you currently doing your own research on?
I work on different topics related to ecology and biogeochemistry. For example, we are looking at how water plants can not only contribute to better water quality but also mitigate aquatic greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, we are examining how freshwater aquaculture in Brazil can be made more environmentally sustainable.
What advice do you have for students making their study choice?
Choose something you enjoy doing now (without perhaps thinking too much about future career paths).
What does your work in practice bring to your academic work, and vice versa?
My work relates to water policy and water management. We collaborate with water authorities and nature managers, for instance.
What is the best part of being a lecturer?
I enjoy teaching and even more so being in the field with students. I teach things and point things out, but also always learn new things myself. In addition, it is always fun to be working outside: in the water or on a boat.
Testimonials of alumni
I have been in love with the Wadden region all my life, so that research direction was easy.
- Previous education
- Biology en Medical Biology (Radboud University)
- Programme
- Conservation and Restoration Ecology
- Study end date
Sofie Buesink was a Master's student in Conservation and Restoration Ecology at Radboud University.
Where do you work now and what does your job entail?
I'm doing a PhD at the University of Groningen. That means I'm doing research. I deal with birds in the Wadden sea and am concerned with how they ‘fatten up’ during the winter and prepare for the spring migration to the polar region where they breed.
Why did you choose to work in this field?
During my Bachelor's I actually already noticed that I enjoy doing research immensely. During my Master's I discovered this further and started preparing for a PhD. I have been in love with the Wadden region all my life, so that research direction was easy.
What did you learn during your studies that you now use in your work?
A lot! Reading academic papers, setting up experiments, formulating research questions, but also more ‘soft skills’ like critical thinking, presenting and doing independent research. And perseverance!
How did you experience this programme at Radboud University? In your opinion, what made this programme special?
Very, very nice. The atmosphere at the university is great, both with the students and with the lecturers. I think it's cool that I've been able to surround myself for so long with people who are extremely knowledgeable about the things I find interesting, which makes the university a very inspiring environment.
What advice do you have for students choosing a Master's programme?
Listen to your gut feeling! Choose what you like and what makes you feel good, not what looks best on paper. The best way to test that feeling is to go on a 'Student for a Dag' and actually walk around a course. You have no idea beforehand what a study is really going to be like and what you can do with it in 4-5 years, so focus on what excites you now, not on what careers will come after your studies.