Research

Louvain-La-Neuve

RESEARCH INTERESTS 
My research interests are in geomorphology and soil science with a particular focus on agricultural erosion and the role of sediment transport in carbon and nutrient cycling across landscapes. Much of my work involves numerical and mathematical modelling with an emphasis on geographical aspects and scale issues. My recent research seeks to develop new approaches that allow for an integrated study of geomorphology, hydrology and  bioeochemistry in soil landscapes.
In 2004, I was awarded a Marie-Curie Intra-European Mobility grant (funded by EU) and worked for 2 years as a member of the Hydrology and Earth Surface Processes Research Group (University of Exeter, UK). Since 2007, I am a FNRS Research Associate at the George Lemaître Centre for Earth and Climate Research.

 

Projects

  • Agricultural Erosion and the global C Cycle
  • Pedogenic and geomorphic controls on soil carbon stabilization (2012-2016), Funded by FNRS/FRFC
  • SOGLO (2012-2017), Funded by Belspo
  • Regional scale C dynamics (2009-2013), Funded by FSR/UCL

[1]     Study of the atmosphere-ocean-biosphere system intended for climate studies (credit to researchers, FNRS, budget : ~20,000 EUR, 1990-1991, in collaboration with G. Schayes and J.-P. van Ypersele).

[2]     "Crédit superordinateur FNRS" (20 hours of CPU time on the ULB-VUB CRAY-XMP, 1990–1991, in collaboration with J.-P. van Ypersele).

[3]     Variability of the glacial and interglacial climates and abrupt climatic changes (contract ENV4-CT95-0131, Climate and Environment Programme, European Commission, budget : ~171,000 EUR, 1996–1997).

[4]     Modelling the climate and its evolution at the global scale - CLIMOD (Contract CG/DD/09A, First Scientific Support Plan for a Sustainable Development Policy, Belgian Federal Office for Scientific, Technical and Cultural Affairs, Prime Minister’s Services, budget : ~377,000 EUR, 1996–2001). Within this project, I have coordinated a network of 4 Belgian research teams (total budget : ~1,244,000 EUR).

[5]     Influence of the air–sea–ice interactions in the polar regions on the global climate : A study with a new coupled atmosphere–ocean general circulation model (contract ERBFMBICT972359, Programme for Training and Mobility of Researchers, European Commission, budget : ~178,000 EUR, 1998–2000).

[6]     Climate variability : How unusual is the Holocene? (contract ENV4-CT97-0643, Climate and Environment Programme, European Commission, budget : ~192,000 EUR, 1998–2000).

[7]     Modelling the climate and its evolution at the global and regional scales (Special Project SPBECL, European Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasts, Reading, CPU time on the FUJITSU, 1998–2003, in collaboration with J.-P. van Ypersele).

[8]     "Financement des Fonds Spéciaux de Recherche (FSR) de l’UCL destiné à l’accueil d’un chercheur postdoctoral étranger à  ASTR" (1999).

[9]     Optimisation of a model of the coupled ocean–sea-ice system (Group Mission MERCATOR, CERFACS–CNES–CNRS/INSU–IFREMER–IRD–Météo-France–SHOM, budget : ~7000 EUR, 2000–2001).

[10]  Modelling the evolution of climate and sea level over the third millennium - MILMO (contract EV/10/9A, Second Scientific Support Plan for a Sustainable Development Policy, Belgian Federal Office for Scientific, Technical and Cultural Affairs, Prime Minister’s Services, budget : ~327,000 EUR, 2000–2005). Within this project, I have coordinated a network of 3 Belgian research teams (total budget : ~972,000 EUR).

[11]   Modelling the climate with LMDZ : Application to regional studies (International Scientific Cooperation Programme, French National Centre for Scientific Research and Belgian FNRS, budget : ~31,000 EUR, 2000–2003, in collaboration with H. Le Treut).

[12]  Programme for integrated Earth system modelling - PRISM : An infrastructure project for climate research in Europe (contract EVR1-CT-2001-40012, Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development Programme, European Commission, budget : ~47,000 EUR, 2001–2004).

[13]  Sea ice : Observations and high-resolution modelling (Group Mission MERCATOR, CERFACS–CNES–CNRS/INSU–IFREMER–IRD–Météo-France–SHOM, budget : ~12,000 EUR, 2001–2003).

[14]  Contribution of the assimilation of satellite data to sea-ice modelling (FSR, budget : ~45,000 EUR, 2002–2004, in collaboration with E. Deleersnijder).

[15]  Models and observations to test climate feedbacks - MOTIF (Fifth Framework Programme, Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development Programme, European Commission, budget : ~104,000 EUR, 2003–2005).

[16]  Climate Change and Cryosphere - C3 (ACI-FNS French National Programme on Natural Risk and Climate Change, budget : ~24,000 EUR, 2003–2005, in collaboration with H. Goosse and J.-P. van Ypersele).

[17]  Ensemble-based predictions of climate changes and their impacts - ENSEMBLES (contract 505539, Sixth Framework Programme, Global Change and Ecosystems Programme, European Commission, budget : ~75,000 EUR, 2004–2009).

[18]  A second-generation model of the ocean system - SLIM (Concerted Research Actions, French Community of Belgium, budget : ~725,000 EUR, 2004–2009, in collaboration with E. Deleersnjider, V. Legat and J.-F. Remacle).

[19]  Contributing as Lead Author to Chapter 8 of the IPCC Working Group 1 Fourth Assessment Report (contract IO/10/004, Belgian Science Policy Office, budget : ~35,000 EUR, 2004–2007).

[20]  Assessment of modelling uncertainties in long-term climate and sea level change projections - ASTER : Phase 1 (contract SD/CS/01A, Programme on Science for a Sustainable Development, Belgian Science Policy Office, budget : ~200,000 EUR, 2006–2008). Within this project, I have coordinated a network of 3 Belgian research teams (total budget : ~534,000 EUR).

[21]  "Financement des FSR de l’UCL destiné à l’accueil d’un chercheur postdoctoral étranger à  ASTR" (2006, in collaboration with A. Berger et H. Goosse).

[22]  Sea-ice biogeochemistry in polar oceans : Implications on fluxes of climatically significant gases and for climate changes of natural or anthropogenic origin - A contribution to the International Polar Year (Fund for Collective Fundamental Research, FNRS, budget : ~5000 EUR, 2007-2009, in collaboration with A. Borges, L. Chou, C. Lancelot and J.-L. Tison).

[23]  Network for ice sheet and climate evolution - NICE (contract MRTN-CT-2006-036127, Human Resources and Mobility Activity, Marie Curie Actions, Marie Curie Research Training Networks, European Commission, budget : ~282,000 EUR, 2007–2010).

[24]  "Analyse comparée des forçages externes et des rétroactions internes au système climatique lors de trois périodes chaudes observées dans l’Arctique au cours des 10.000 dernières années" (Fund for Collective Fundamental Research, FNRS, budget : ~10,000 EUR, 2008, in collaboration with M. Crucifix and H. Goosse).

[25]  Assessment of modelling uncertainties in long-term climate and sea level change projections - ASTER : Phase 2 (contract SD/CS/01B, Programme on Science for a Sustainable Development, Belgian Science Policy Office, budget : ~263,000 EUR, 2008–2010). Within this project, I have coordinated a network of 3 Belgian research teams (total budget : ~620,000 EUR).

[26]  "Financement des FSR de l’UCL destiné à l’accueil d’un chercheur postdoctoral étranger à  ASTR" (2009, in collaboration with E. Lambin).

[27]  Comprehensive modelling of the Earth system for better climate prediction and projection - COMBINE (grant agreement 226520, Seventh Framework Programme, Theme 6 : Environment, European Commission, budget : ~310,000 EUR, 2009-2013).

[28]  Taking up the challenges of multi-scale marine modelling (Concerted Research Actions, French Community of Belgium, budget : ~500,000 EUR, 2010–2015, in collaboration with E. Deleersnjider, E. Hanert, V. Legat, J.-F. Remacle and S. Soares Frazao).

Total budget : ~3,940,000 EUR.

Earth & Climate

Sciences and Technology

ELIC

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