Gerben Messelink

PhD research at Leiden University’s Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML) focuses on developing validated and tangible key performance indicators for biodiversity improvements in agriculture and horticulture. The project is part of the NWO-KIC RISE project, Resilient Integrated Systems for Ecosystem restoration , and is carried out in collaboration with Eindhoven University of Technology and Wageningen University and Research. You will work at the intersection of innovation science, system dynamics, value chains, biodiversity restoration, and real-world decision-making by farmers and agrifood stakeholders. A central part of the project is co-developing a system dynamics model for agrifood transitions together with an interdisciplinary team of four PhD candidates and with farmers and societal stakeholders. The doctoral project includes evaluating barriers and opportunities for nature-inclusive initiatives in farming practices, designing biodiversity indicators for two regional case areas, creating actionable biodiversity strategies for regional agricultural stakeholders, and exploring how these strategies can be scaled to new agricultural landscapes and applications. You will be based at the Institute of Environmental Science (CML) within the Faculty of Science at Leiden University, a research environment that emphasizes sustainability, interdisciplinary collaboration, professional development, and academic freedom. CML is part of a wider scientific setting that connects environmental sciences with other disciplines across the faculty and collaborates with partners in the Leiden-Delft-Erasmus sustainability network and Naturalis Biodiversity Centre.