Louvain-La-Neuve

Education

  • PhD, University of Louvain, Belgium, Sciences, Geography (1988)
  • M.S., University of Louvain, Belgium, Geography (1985)
  • B.A., University of Louvain, Belgium, Geography and Philosophy (1985)

Appointments

  • Professor, University of Louvain, Belgium (1995 - Present)
  • George and Setsuko Ishiyama Provostial Professor, Stanford University (2010 - Present)
  • Fellow, Center for Advanced Studies in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University (2002 - 2003)
  • Expert, Joint Research Center (Ispra, Italy), European Commission, European Commission (1993 - 1995)
  • Assistant professor, Boston University (1991 - 1993)

Honors and Awards

  • Blue Planet Prize, The Asahi Glass Foundation, Japan (2019)
  • Distinguished Visiting Fellow of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)(2019-2022)
  • Beijer Fellow, Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics, The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden (2016)
  • Honorary degree “Doctor rerum naturalium honoris causa”, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany (2016)
  • Highly Cited Researcher, Thomson Reuters (since 2014)
  • Volvo Environment Prize, Volvo Environment Prize Foundation, The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (2014)
  • Fellow, European Academy of Sciences (2010)
  • Member, Academia Europaea (2010)
  • Prix du livre Environnement pour “Une Ecologie du Bonheur”, Veolia (2010)
  • Foreign Associate, U.S. National Academy of Sciences (2009)
  • Francqui prize in Sciences, Francqui Foundation (2009)
  • Membre, Académie Royale des sciences, des lettres & des beaux-arts de Belgique (2006)
  • Chair, Land-Use & Land-Cover Change (LUCC) project of the IGBP and IHDP (1999 - 2005)

University Services and Professional Activities

  • Scientific Board of the Belgian Climate Centre (2023-present)

  • Member of the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors to the European Commission (2021-present)
  • Advisory Board, Chapter Zero Brussels - Climate Governance Initiative, World Econom
  • Academic Advisory Council of Voluntary Sustainability Standards, United Nations Forum on Sustainability Standards & Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies, University of Leuven (2019 - Present)
  • 2019-2022: Distinguished Visiting Fellow of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)
  • International Science Advisory Council, Stockholm Resilience Centre (2019 - Present)
  • Advisory Board of Landscape Ecology, the flagship journal of the International Association for Landscape Ecology (2019 - Present)
  • Member of evaluation panel for ERC Advanced Grants (SH-2)(2017-2019)
  • Review Editor for the Global Assessment of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) (2017-2019)
  • Member of the Editorial Board, Global Sustainability (2016 - Present)
  • Member of the Board of Directors, Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics, Stockholm (2011 - 2017)
  • Review Editor, Global Assessment of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) (2017 - 2018)
  • Member of the Research Council, University of Louvain (2006 - 2009)
  • Co-Chair of Department, Environmental Earth System Science, Stanford University (2013 - 2016)
  • Member of the Editorial Board, Global Environmental Change (2004 - 2015)
  • Member of the External Advisory Board, National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC), USA (2012 - 2013)
  • Associate Editor, Ecology and Society: A journal of integrative science for resilience and sustainability (2005 - Present)
  • Member of the Steering Committee, Global Terrestrial Observing System (2005 - 2010)
  • Member of the Science Advisory Committee, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Laxenburg, Austria (2004 - 2011)
  • Member of the Editorial Board, Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment (2002 - 2006)
  • Member of the Editorial Board, Ecosystems (2001 - 2004)
  • Chair of Department, Geography and Geology, University of Louvain (2000 - 2003)

PhD student supervision

1. Benoit Mertens (Supervisor), Spatial modelling of diverse tropical deforestation processes, Département de Géographie, Université catholique de Louvain (1999), La plus grande distinction.

2. Philippe Mayaux (co-Supervisor), Estimation des surfaces mondiales de forêts tropicales humides par télédétection satellitale, Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques, Université catholique de Louvain (1999), La plus grande distinction.

3. Hugh Eva (Supervisor), Monitoring of tropical vegetation fires and their impact on land cover using remote sensing techniques, Département de Géographie, Université catholique de Louvain (2000), La plus grande distinction.

4. Suzanne Serneels (Supervisor), Remote sensing of land use changes and biomass burning in East Africa, Département de Géographie, Université catholique de Louvain (2001), La plus grande distinction avec les félicitations du jury.

5. Carine Petit (Supervisor), Detection and reconstruction of land-use and land-cover changes from multi-source cartographic and remote sensing data, Département de Géographie, Université catholique de Louvain (2001), La plus grande distinction avec les félicitations du jury.

6. Nathalie Stephenne (Supervisor), A dynamic simulation model to understand land-use change processes in the Sudano-sahelian region,Département de Géographie, Université catholique de Louvain (2002), Grande distinction.

7. Fred Stolle (Supervisor), Land use as driver of vegetation fires in Indonesia,Département de Géographie, Université catholique de Louvain (2003), La plus grande distinction.

8. Sabine Henry (Supervisor), The influence of the natural environment on migration in Burkina Faso,Département de Géographie, Université catholique de Louvain (2003).

9. Sophie Vanwambeke (Supervisor), Impacts of land-use change on mosquito-borne diseases in northern Thailand,Département de Géographie, Université catholique de Louvain (2005).

10. Marie Scouvart (Supervisor), Une Analyse Quali-Quantitative Comparée des causes de la déforestation en Amazonie brésilienne,Département de Géographie, Université catholique de Louvain (2006).

11. Rodrigo Lorena (Supervisor), Linking spatial patterns of land use to agents of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon, Département de Géographie, Université catholique de Louvain (2008).

12. Else Swinnen (Supervisor), Vegetation dynamics in southern Africa from NOAA-AVHRR and SPOT-VEGETATION time series, Département de Géographie, Université catholique de Louvain (2008).

13. Pedram Rowhani (Supervisor), Global interannual variability in terrestrial ecosystems: Patterns, sources, and impacts on biodiversity and human security, Département de Géographie, Université catholique de Louvain (2008).

14. Catherine Linard (Supervisor), Spatial and integrated modelling of the transmission of vector-borne and zoonotic infections, Département de Géographie, Université catholique de Louvain (2009).

15. Giulia Conchedda (co-Supervisor), Human-environment interactions in two mangrove ecosystems of Senegal, Département de Géographie, Université catholique de Louvain (2009).

16. Patrick Meyfroidt (Supervisor), Forest transition in Vietnam: Evidence, theory and social-ecological feedbacks, Département de Géographie, Université catholique de Louvain (2009).

17. Eva Haas (co-Supervisor), Temporary water bodies as ecological indicators in West African drylands, Département de Géographie, Université catholique de Louvain (2010).

18. Hugues Lorent (Supervisor), Human-envirpnment analysis of land degradation at the level of farms: Three case studies in Mediterranean Europe. Département de Géographie, Université catholique de Louvain (2011).

19. Elise Dion (Supervisor), Landscape epidemiology of foot-and-mouth disease in South Africa: A spatially-explicit multiagent simulation model. Département de Géographie, Université catholique de Louvain (2011).

20. Sarah D’Haen (Supervisor), Improving welfare in a West African context: Nonfarm activities, rainfall and poverty in contemporary Burkina Faso, Département de Géographie, Université catholique de Louvain (2012).

21. Yann Le Polain (Supervisor), Social and ecological change in the argan woodlands of Morocco, Département de Géographie, Université catholique de Louvain (2012).

22. Rachel Garrett (co-Supervisor), Interactions between global supply chains, land use, and governance: the case of soybean production in South America, School of Earth Science, Stanford University (2013).

23. Lauren Oakes (Supervisor), Forest communities in a changing climate: Social and ecological responses to Yellow-edar decline in the Alexander Archipelago, Alaska, School of Earth Science, Stanford University (2015).

24. Robert Heilmayr (Supervisor), Chile’s forest transition: Foreshadowing global timber markets and governance, School of Earth Science, Stanford University (2015).

25. Derek Bruggeman (co-Supervisor), Tropical forest-cover change in Cameroon, Département de Géographie, Université catholique de Louvain (2016).

26. Isaline Jadin (co-Supervisor) Land use displacement and forest conservation: The cases of Bhutan and Costa Rica, Département de Géographie, Université catholique de Louvain (2016).

27. Romaike Middendorp (Supervisor), Forest and landscape restoration in Ecuador: Reconciling biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation, Université catholique de Louvain (2017).

28. Christa Anderson (co-Supervisor), Land use policy for forest management: direct and indirect impacts on forest outcomes. Stanford University (2018).

29. Tannis Thorlakson (co-Supervisor), Sustainable sourcing in agricultural supply chains: An analysis across scales. Stanford University (2018).

30. Elsa Ordway (Supervisor), Commodity crop expansion pathways and impacts in tropical forest regions of Africa and Asia. Stanford University (2018).

31. Elinor Benami (co-Supervisor), Shaping the producer problem: Essays on land-use zoning and certification in the sustainability of Brazilian oil palm and coffee. Stanford University (2018).

32. Laura Bloomfield (co-Supervisor), At the edge of zoonotic spillover: Land use, human-primate contact, and social networks in Western Uganda. Stanford University (2018).

33. Briana Swette (co-supervisor), Changing land use and people across the High Divide: A land use transition analysis of the rural American West. Stanford University (2022)

34. Simon Bager, (Supervisor), Delivering zero deforestation. Université catholique de Louvain (2021).

35. Nicole Buckley (Supervisor), Engaging agricultural landowners in climate and conservation: California case studies, Stanford University (2022)

36. Marius von Essen (Supervisor), Jurisdictional approaches to sustainable resource use: a conceptual and computational analysis.Stanford University (2022).

37. Tereza de Marzo (co-Supervisor), Linking agents, patterns and outcomes of forest disturbances to understand pathways of degradation in the Argentine Dry Chaco. Humboldt University Humboldt University Berlin (2023).

38. Lina Tenhardt, (co-Supervisor), Sustainable farming practices among cocoa farmers in Ecuador and UgandaUniversité catholique de Louvain (2023).

Earth & Climate

Sciences and Technology

ELIC

Mercator
Place Louis Pasteur 3, mailbox L4.03.08,
1348, Louvain-la-Neuve