As of 1 May, the Executive Board has appointed Dr. Lisette N. de Senerpont Domis as professor in the chair of Smart Ecological Monitoring of Aquatic Systems. The chair is placed on the boundary of the two faculties of ITC and EEMCS (Pervasive Systems research group). This gives the chair a unique opportunity to add (embedded) artificial intelligence to the research on biodiversity and the functioning of ecosystems.
The focus of this chair is on smart ecological monitoring of interactions and processes in aquatic ecosystems. Smart ecological monitoring ranges from the deployment of wireless sensor networks, automated video tracking, remotely sensed data via drones and satellites, to the deployment of citizen scientists as sensors. Through its unique position between the ITC and EEMCS faculties, the chair contributes to transdisciplinary research, using smart sensors of the environment to better understand and manage water resources. This kind of distributed smart ecological monitoring is essential for understanding the rapidly changing aquatic ecosystems in the Anthropocene.
Background Lisette N. de Senerpont Domis
Dr. Lisette N. de Senerpont Domis is an aquatic ecologist at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW). She holds a PhD in Natural Sciences from Leiden University. She is interested in how different components of human-induced global change, such as climate warming, eutrophication, emerging pollutants and habitat fragmentation affect species interactions. Over the years, stimulated by the urgency of the ecology crisis facing our planet, she became increasingly interested in operationalising ecological principles for the management and conservation of aquatic ecosystems.
Making an impact
"I am extremely happy with this appointment," says Lisette. "It gives me even more opportunities to contribute to major societal challenges. In my work, I try to integrate smart ecological monitoring techniques in order to translate fundamental scientific insights and thus make a social impact. An example is the use of citizen science, to map the decomposition rate of water on a continental scale or to make people aware of water use."
