Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

From microscopic analysis to global resilience

The Vrije Universiteit (VU) was founded on the principle to integrate fundamental thinking with teaching. The main goal of the VU is to create a better world based on justice, humanity and responsibility. The VU campus houses ca. 30,000 students and 2,250 academic staff, and is located in Amsterdam, in the Buitenveldert district, close to the Zuidas business district.

Research

The Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM) and the Earth Sciences department at the VU both cover the domain of river studies. Expertise from both groups is actively integrated in our combined BSc and MSc teaching programs, and joint research projects. Complementary knowledge promotes active discussion derived from various standpoints and allows to cover a wide range of research topics that span:

• various timescales, encompassing fluvial responses to glacial-interglacial cycles, natural hazards such as recent flood events, and future changes in river discharge and flood risk.
• different regional scales, including catchment-specific responses to climate and human perturbations, and global water stress and resilience.
• multi-disciplinary approaches to investigate river systems that include geomorphological and sedimentological analysis, numerical modelling studies on river morphodynamics and connections with the atmospheric climate system, and studies aimed at resilience and policy making.