Professor Mark van Koningsveld holder of Ports & Waterways chair

Prof.dr.ir. Mark van Koningsveld has been installed as the new holder of the chair of Ports & Waterways. Van Koningsveld is taking over from prof. Ir. Tiedo Vellinga and will continue the chair’s main brief which is to conduct research into the areas of port infrastructure and design and nautical matters.

The chair, introduced in 2011 and financed by the Port of Rotterdam Authority, will be given a total of €1m by the Port of Rotterdam Authority and SmartPort for the next five years. The companies’ support is based on the need for the continued development of knowledge and expertise in the areas of port management and logistics and to meet the demand for highly trained professionals in the sector and affiliated sectors.

Since 2011 some 500 students have opted for the Master of Science track Hydraulic Engineering of whom 50 graduated in the specialisation Port & Waterways. Four went on to do PhDs and 23 articles were published contributing to the improvement of port processes and management of Rotterdam port and ports in general.

Mark van Koningsveld is Manager R&D Engineering at Van Oord Dredging and Marine Contractors. He earned a Master of Civil Engineering at TU Twente and a PhD in 2003. Apart from his job at Van Oord, prof.dr.ir. Van Koningsveld is also secretary of Top Sector Water, a partnership of companies, researchers and social organisations working together to promote the development and innovation of a sector vital to the Dutch economy.