Royal Honour for Prof. Jan Dirk Jansen

Professor Jan Dirk Jansen, Dean and Professor of Reservoir Systems and Control at the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences (CEG), has just been made a Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion in Delft. 

Professor Jansen received the honour for his contributions to Earth Sciences research in the Netherlands and his talent for bringing together science and wider society. In his research, Jansen specialises in developing techniques for managing subsurface fluid flows, for use in oil and gas extraction, geothermal energy and induced earthquakes. He is an expert in reservoir management and production optimisation and was instrumental in the integration of Earth Sciences research, which was previously fragmented.

Examples of his social engagement include membership of the Mining Council, the body that advises the Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate, for instance on strengthening the structural integrity of buildings in the province of Groningen in the light of the decision to discontinue gas extraction by 2030. Jansen is also a firm advocate of the initiative to realise a geothermal source on TU Delft campus – a project in which the scientific challenge is inextricably linked with the interests of wider society.

Jan Dirk Jansen studied Civil Engineering at TU Delft. After graduating, he worked for Shell in the Netherlands and internationally, while at the same time completing his doctorate at TU Delft in 1993. Between 1999 and 2010, he combined his job at Shell with a university appointment. In 2005, he was appointed Professor of Reservoir Systems and Control. In 2011, he became Director of the Geoscience & Engineering department and has been Dean of the Faculty of CEG since 2018.