FWO Scientific Prize for Climate Research

“Climate research is
broad. It ranges from research into the cause of climate change, human protection from floods, our oceans,
to alternative and innovative solutions to environmentally damaging 'habits and customs'. As broad as the
term climate can be interpreted, so wide ranged are the disciplines involved in climate research.”
My research examines how glaciers evolve under changing climatic conditions. By projecting the future evolution of these precious
ice masses, I assess both the consequences of climate change, impacts and adaptation, and the extent to which damages can be
avoided through mitigation. Glaciers profoundly affect for our society: they are major contributors to sea-level rise and act as
unique “water towers,” sustaining billions of people worldwide.
At the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, I lead the bglacier group (currently 12 members), which combines numerical modelling, machine
learning, and remote sensing to push glacier science forward. We complement these efforts with glaciological fieldwork in the
European Alps, the Tien Shan mountains, and Antarctica, allowing us to better quantify the effects of climate change and to help
unraveling the long-term evolution of our climate.