Workshops

Moderator: Merlijn Jakobs (NWO)

During this open-entry interactive session, you will learn about the possibilities for a career outside of academia.

Do you ever wonder what your future career will look like? Is there life after academia? If you're curious about alternative career paths, come and get inspired by scientists who have already been there. 
In this workshop, Merlijn will ask a panel of experts to tell about their journey and to provide the audience with new ideas, tips & tricks.

EMBRACER, or Earth System Feedback Research Centre is a 10-years NWO funded program focusing on feedback mechanisms in the climate system across medium-term timescales. 

Impact of these feedbacks are relatively minor over the coming years to decades, but will determine Earth’s climate far beyond 2100. Even in the best climate change projections available, unfolding feedbacks are typically not yet included because they are poorly constrained. This uncertainty risks underestimating sea level rise, the extremity of disruptive heatwaves, or spending huge resources on ineffective climate action plans. Climate feedbacks therefore constitute major gaps in contemporary physical climate science. 

EMBRACER brings together 23 top researchers from leading Dutch institutions, including Utrecht University, the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Radboud University Nijmegen, and Wageningen University & Research. The centre’s interdisciplinary approach integrates expertise from earth scientists, oceanographers, climatologists, and ecologists to address critical knowledge gaps in climate projections, particularly regarding feedbacks with long-term implications, such as thawing permafrost, tropical forest dynamics, and the role of oceans in carbon cycles. 

The programme aims to bridge the gap between short-term and long-term climate change models and improve understanding of feedbacks that may accelerate global warming. EMBRACER’s research will also focus on methane emissions, carbon storage in tropical forests, and the interaction between climate change and ice sheets. Public engagement and education are key components of the initiative, with activities aimed at enhancing climate literacy through the “Tipping Point Ahead” program. 

By advancing scientific knowledge and fostering societal awareness, EMBRACER seeks to contribute significantly to future climate policy and mitigation strategies. This workshop will feature presentations on key parts of the project, with ample time for interaction and discussion with the audience.

Moderators:Maxence Menthon (VU Amsterdam), Max van Gerrevink (VU Amsterdam), Fiona Román de Miguel (VU Amsterdam) and Nicholas Cullen (VU Amsterdam)

The Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Committee of VU Amsterdam invites you to join a panel discussion on the evolving practices of the Earth and Environmental Sciences community. The session will explore key topics such as fieldwork, international collaborations, and the future of disciplines in the context of global ethics and sustainability.

Panel members Prof. Dr. Joyeeta Gupta (UvA), expert in governance and inclusive development and winner of the Spinoza Prize in 2023, and Dr. Lingli Zhou (VU Amsterdam), expert in mineral resources, will discuss the complex challenges scientists face when conducting international research. How can Earth and Environmental Sciences contribute to a more just and sustainable future, while ensuring that scientific practices align with the principles of fairness and environmental stewardship? This interactive dialogue will address how to navigate collaborations in an ethical, equitable, and sustainable manner, while respecting climate justice, resource use, and the Earth's planetary boundaries.

Join us for this important conversation!

Moderators: Susanne Geuze  (Freelance copywriter) and Hemmo Abels (Geoscientist, TU Delft)

As a geoscientist you are often asked how your research relates to the bigger picture: larger models, or bigger, societal questions, on natural hazards or climate change. Or the other way around: you are asked if your large-scale model can explain observations at smaller scales. As geoscientists we are asked to think multi-scale! But do we really do that?

In this storytelling workshop you will explore your research at multiple scales. What could you say about your own research topic, if performed at a scale that is completely different from the one you cover right now? How would you (or someone else) use your research at that scale? In closing, we will have a quick look at the EPOS-eNLarge facilities for subsurface research at nm to km scales. Can you use these facilities, or inspiration from this workshop, to take your research to the next scale?

Moderators: Dr Andor Lips (TNO) & Dr Pim van Geffen ( Netherlands Materials Observatory

Technological developments to support the energy and digital transitions are creating an increasing demand for specific materials and metals.

Many of these commodities are traded worldwide in large volumes and mature markets, while some others are extracted and processed in only a few countries, and are available in small markets and subject to opaque pricing mechanisms. In combination with geopolitical tensions, such smaller markets are easily disrupted, causing insecurities in global supply chains. To address supply risks, governments around the world have started identifying certain materials as critical to their economies. This workshop will bring insights into what determines the criticality of raw materials; how countries around the world address their commodity strategies and related mineral-diplomacy efforts; and how the Netherlands aims to ensure greater security of its supply of critical raw materials. The workshop may provide a connection between your materials research, to the development of a national exploration programme or on developing mineral intelligence advice.

Moderators: Jana Cox & Manon Verberne, Young Women of Geoscience, Utrecht University 

Undertaking fieldwork is often one of the most enjoyable parts of undertaking a career or degree in Earth Sciences. However, sometimes unclear arrangements or planning can make it exclusionary, especially for minority groups. 

This can include for example the cost of fieldwork, a lack of accessibility or unsafe social situations. In this workshop we will discuss how you can make practical fieldwork plans and agreements to ensure fieldwork is safe, fun and inclusive in both the education and research settings. We will focus on how to accommodate inclusion (including e.g. neurodiversity, religion, childcare and more) learning from examples and each other. 

Moderator: Sam Rijken (NWO)

During this interactive session Sam Rijken from NWO will tell you more about how to write a successful research proposal.

Obtaining funding is crucial for making the next step in your academic career after receiving a PhD. How do you handle something like that? What does this process entail? And what should you really pay attention to when writing an application? This session will discuss the process of obtaining grants with a focus on grants to start your academic career. NWO employees with experience with NWO as the application point of view will provide explanations and answer all your burning questions.

Moderators: Jeroen Schokker (TNO) and Jan-Berend Stuut (NIOZ) 

This symposium provides a platform and networking opportunity for all colleagues that are interested in Quaternary Sciences. 

The international Union for Quaternary Sciences (INQUA) has a national branch in many countries, including the Netherlands. The INQUA-NL community gathers regularly to discuss the latest developments and findings in a wide range of scientific disciplines including paleo- ontology, botany, climatology, oceanography, geography and archeology.

 This workshop is organized by KNGMG and INQUA. We will present developments in the international society during the present inter-congress period 2023 – 2027. These include news from the international boards and the journals, news from the various working groups and projects as well as funding- and other opportunities for students and (early-career) scientists.

In addition, Dr Rick Hennekam will give a seminar in which he will present first results from the project he is running on tipping points in the Earth’s climate, for which he was recently awarded a VIDI grant. Using statistical tools that he applies to high-resolution archives of natural responses to climate changes in the past Rick tries to decipher trends that can be used to predict future tipping-point behaviour of parts of the climate system.

Moderator: Geert-Jan de Haas (NRG PALLAS, Petten)

Worldwide efforts to arrive at a carbon-neutral energy system by 2050 has resulted in increasing interest in nuclear energy. Plans for newbuild of nuclear power plants are attended with numerous initiatives to better exploit the potential of nuclear energy as a sustainable source of energy.

 Competences and skills developed within the various disciplines of Earth sciences represent a valuable asset to arrive at sustainable fuel cycle covering aspects of mining and processing of uranium and possibly thorium, the behaviour of fuels and reactor materials during and after irradiation, the behaviour of radionuclides in the environment and final disposal of the waste in underground facilities. Recently the Dutch government allocated funds for reinforcement of the nuclear knowledge infrastructure to realize the ambitions within the field of nuclear energy. During the workshop we will, together with experts from various institutes in the Netherlands, explore possible contributions from Earth sciences and options for teaming up. 

Moderators: Gert-Jan Reichart (NIOZ, department of Ocean systems & Utrecht University), Zeynep Erdem (NIOZ, National Marine Facilities) and Furu Mienis (NIOZ, department of Ocean Systems)

Renewal of the Dutch research fleet and equipment is nearing completion by the end of 2025, offering exciting new opportunities to the Dutch marine research community. In this workshop, we will provide an overview of the new research vessels including the already operational 'Wim Wolff' for shallow water and the ocean-going 'Anna Weber-van Bosse' that becomes operational in 2026. 

With the new vessels state-of-the-art marine robotics for autonomous and remote operations also become available including a fleet of gliders, an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, and a Remotely Operated Vehicle collecting samples and performing experiments at full ocean depth (6000m). We will provide examples of the capabilities of the new vessels and equipment that will set the stage for more detailed observations and experiments. During the final part of the workshop, we will provide detailed information on how to apply for ship time and marine equipment via the marine facilities portal (marinefacilitiesplanning.com).