Femke Vossepoel is appointed professor in Earth System Simulation

Through situation-aware data assimilation she simulates the behaviour of the system Earth. This is increasingly urgent for our society now that climate change is more and more affecting our daily lives.

Femke: “With the simulation I can make scenarios that support decision makers by predicting how the natural system responds to human interventions. The resulting models need to be fast and flexible, but also complete enough.”

This is relevant, for example, when we need to decide on the strengthening of a dyke, on urban development with the least possible heat stress, or on water extraction with minimal subsidence. By engaging with the stakeholders in the design of these methods, the approach of Femke makes the scenarios meaningful.