8 MARCH: INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY ‘woman of the future’
International Women's Day 2025 theme on 8 March is ‘Woman of the Future’. Women are all equally unique and different. How do you see the women around you? How do they have an impact on the world of tomorrow? Are they an inspiration to you?
One of the inspiring women at our UT is Joanne Vinke-de Kruijf (CEM'07/PhD'13). She is an associate professor in the Department of Civil Engineering & Management where she researches and teaches collaborative processes focused on climate-resilient infrastructure systems.
Assignments during my studies and PhD
Interest in water management
I soon found out that the Water topic had my special interest. For my bachelor‘s assignment, I left for Cameroon to focus on the sustainability of rural water supply systems. I conducted this research within the development agency Plan International. Plan International works towards a world where children have every opportunity to develop to their full potential. Access to drinking water is an important prerequisite for this. The research was not easy but very instructive.
Multi-stakeholder management
During my master's thesis, I immersed myself in how parties with opposing interests can come to an agreement. I was involved in an impressive process where different parties engaged in a conversation about the future of the Volkerak-Zoommeer in the southwestern delta. This conversation was not easy because of opposing interests. Because the lake suffered from blue-green algae related to stagnant water, nature organisations wanted to partially reopen the sea connection. The agricultural sector did not want this because they used fresh water since the Delta Works were completed. The inflow of salt water affects the availability of fresh water for irrigation, the soil, and crop yields. An important lesson from this study was that despite their conflicting interests and different perspectives, parties could agree on a solution direction. This does require that parties be heard and involved in research and knowledge development.
PhD research abroad
During my PhD research, I lived - with my partner - in Romania. In Romania, the Dutch water sector was very active. It turned out to be a perfect place to research the effectiveness of Dutch-funded international water projects. In doing so, I focused mainly on water projects which were implemented in Romania at the time. Central to the research was how different implementing (government) parties work together and how contextual factors influence international water projects. A key insight was that the political-administrative context is very decisive for the ultimate impact of these projects.
Research partner in climate projects
Too much or too little water in De Vecht
I am currently working with the Municipality of Hardenberg, water board Vechtstromen, Deltares and a large number of international partners on the European project ‘Spongeworks’. In this project, we are researching the development and realisation of sponge measures and landscapes. A sponge landscape is designed in such a way that the soil and the landscape retain or slowly release water so that the water is less quickly discharged into the Vecht River (a rainwater river) or the sewer system (in the city). Sponge measures are necessary to deal with more extreme weather - flooding or drought - and can also improve biodiversity. More natural solutions are promising but often difficult to implement. They require new forms of cooperation, for example. In Spongeworks and other projects, we investigate what needs to change, for instance in practices or institutions, to implement these measures.
Cross-border approach for drought
In SpongeWorks, as in the European Interreg project ‘DIWA’, we are looking across national borders. In the DIWA project, we are developing a cross-border approach to drought. In Twente and the border region, drought already has major consequences for nature, drinking water, agriculture, and the economy. Due to climate change, drought will increasingly be problematic in the Netherlands and Germany. Because there is no European drought policy, this problem is not being tackled simultaneously and in the same way in both countries. It´s about time to change this and properly address or rather prevent water shortages. We expect that the development of a methodology to determine drought resilience can play an important role in finding solutions. Again, involving various stakeholders is key.
Sharing experiences
to students
I get great satisfaction from supervising PhD students and postdocs and teaching and mentoring our undergraduate and graduate students. Through this work, I learn new things every day about ‘wicked problems’ (complex challenges that have no simple solutions), cross-sector collaboration, stakeholder engagement, resilience assessment, and integrative approaches. Climate change is a big problem, but fortunately, there are also plenty of solutions that help make a living environment more livable and safe environment. This is not easy; it requires linking technology, society, and the natural environment. It is nice to pass on parts of my knowledge and passion for this to the next generation. And to show not only the problems but also the solutions.
during the Climate Event 2025
I am pleased that UT recently launched a Climate Centre where researchers and students can meet and collaborate on climate issues. Through this Centre, we as UT researchers can reach out more and our expertise becomes more visible to the outside world. Last year, I was involved in organising several thematic sessions on adapting to extreme weather. During the Climate Event 2025 - on 5 November - we hope to provide similar theme sessions again. In this way, we want to show our colleagues and the outside world what UT has to offer and how we as a society can deal with climate change.
🛈 Joanne’s LinkedIn page & Joanne’s UT people page
🛈 Bachelor Civil Engineering & Master Civil Engeering Management
🛈 Open Days: Bachelor Open Day & Master Open Day
