Professional background
| 1976 - 1983: |
Drs. Biology University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands |
| 1983 - 1989: |
PhD Plant Ecology, Uppsala University, Sweden |
| 1988 - 1990: |
Research Scholar, Biosphere Project, International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Laxenburg, Austria |
| 1990: |
Associate Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA |
| 1991 - 2003: |
Senior Researcher, Dutch National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) |
| 1996 - 2001: |
Project leader, IMAGE project, RIVM |
| 2000 - 2003: |
Professor Integrated Land-use modelling, Chair Group Plant Production Systems, Wageningen University |
| 2001 - 2005: |
Chair Responses Working Group of The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment |
| 2003 - present: |
Professor, Chair Group Environmental Systems Analysis, Wageningen University |
| 2005 - 2012: |
Director WIMEK Graduate School and chair Board SENSE |
| 2007 - present: |
Chair Science Committee Earth Systems Science Partnership |
| 2012 - 2014: |
Interim professor in Earth System Science |
Research
Prof. Dr. Leemans’ early studies at Uppsala University (Sweden) emphasized the successional dynamics and structure of boreal forests. His subsequent research position at the Biosphere Project of the International Institute of Applied System Analyses (IIASA, Austria) focused on boreal forest models. Since then his research has excelled into modeling global environmental change at The Dutch Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and Wageningen University. He has also been instrumental in different science-policy assessments. His main research interests concern biodiversity, biogeochemical cycles, ecosystem services and sustainable development. Prof. Dr. Leemans has published many papers on a wide range of topics. These include forest dynamics, large-scale vegetation and crop distribution, global environmental databases, terrestrial C cycle and the importance of feedback processes, the incorporation of land-use change and other human dimensions into Earth system models, biodiversity, integrated assessment tools and, more recently, potential mitigation and adaptation options and strategies for environmental change.
Teaching and courses
PhD supervision / projects
Successfully defended PhD students
- Los, S.O.: Linkages between global vegetation and climate. An analysis based on NOAA Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer Data. Free University of Amsterdam, 1994-1999.
- Addink, E.: Land use activities derived from remote sensing data and GIS technologies. Wageningen University, 1994-2001.
- Schaeffer, M.: Defining Interactions and Feedbacks between Land Cover and Climate to Apply in an Integrated Assessment Model. University of Utrecht, 1998-2002.
- Metzger, M.: Developing indicators for ecosystem goods and services. Wageningen University, 2001-2004.
- Reidsma, P.: Assessing adaptation possibilities in ecosystems and agrosystems to cope with global change impacts. Wageningen University, 2003-2007.
- Van Minnen, J.M.: The terrestrial carbon cycle on the regional and global scale: Modeling, uncertainties and policy relevance. Wageningen University, 2003-2008.
- Hinkel, J.: Transdisciplinary knowledge integration: cases from integrated assessment and vulnerability assessment. Wageningen University, 2005-2008.
- Van Vliet, A.J.H.: Monitoring, analyzing, forecasting and communicating phenological changes. Wageningen University, 2001-2008.
- Havlikova, M.: Integrated environmental assessment of agriculture in the Czech Republic. The case of dairy cattle. Wageningen University, 2004-2008.
- Reinds, G.J.: Air pollution impacts on European forest soils: steady-state and dynamic modeling. Wageningen University, 2002-2009.
- Cuppen, E.: Creative Conflict Methodology for Stakeholder Dialogues. Free University of Amsterdam, 2005-2010.
- Willemen, W.: Mapping and modeling multifunctional landscapes. Wageningen University, 2006-2010.
- Werners, S. E.: Adaptation to climate change related risks in managed river basins. Diversifying land use and water management activities to adapt to climate related risks in the Netherlands and Hungary. Wageningen University, 2006-2010.
- Leimona, B.: Fairly efficient or efficiently fair: success factors and constraints of payment and reward schemes for environmental services in Asia. Wageningen University, 2008-2011.
- Eshun, J.F.: Environmental life cycle assessment to enhance the sustainability of the timber sector in Ghana. Wageningen University, 2007-2012.
- Van Amstel, A.R.: Methane. Its role in climate change and options for control, 2000-2012.
Current PhD projects
- Güven Eken: Selecting Key Biodiversity Areas to Optimize Site Conservation (2006-2012).
- Phan Minh Thu: Assessment and Analysis of Water Quality Deterioration by Aquaculture in Vietnamese Coastal AREAS (2006-2012).
- Richard Oyoo: Integrated Modelling of Environmental Flows of Wastewater and Solid Waste at City Level in Urban Towns of East Africa (2007-2012).
- Nguyen Lam Anh: Evaluation of the Adaptive Measures for the Striped Catfish Farming Sector in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam for Mitigating Potential Climatic Change Impacts (2009-2013).
- Morgan Mutoko: Impacts of Sustainable Land Management Strategies at Multiple Scales in Complex Highland Ecosystems: a Dynamic Modelling Approach (2009-2013).
- Marjolein Sterk: Exploring the Landscape Memory Concept at Interacting Spatial Scales to Implement Resilience in Conservation Planning. (2008-2013).
- Claudia Maria Carvalho dos Santos: The services in forest ecosystems – tools for spatial planning and decision on land management (2009-2013).
- Katalin Petz: Measure the Impact of Land Use Change and Ecosystem Management on Biodiversity and the Provision of Ecosystem Services (2009-2013).
- Alexander van Oudenhoven: Impacts of Land-Use Change and Ecosystem Management on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (2009-2013).
- Slava Vasenev: Analysis and Modeling Changes of the Carbon Balance Resulting from Land Use Change in the Moscow Region (2009-2012).
- Martin Rice: Integrated Earth System Science: Genesis, Evolution, and Future. (2010-2013)
- Mariska Williams Weijerman: A Pacific Coral Reef Ecosystem Model as a decision-support tool for ecosystem-based fisheries management (2010-2014).
- Anne Boehnke-Henrichs: Integration of ecosystem services in marine spatial planning, management and decision making (2010-2014).
- Cheng Liu: Climate change and food safety: an integrated risk assessment (2011-2015).
- Roy Remme: Spatial modelling and economic valuation of ecosystem services in Limburg province, the Netherlands (2011-2015).
- Matthias Schröter: Mapping and spatial economic valuation of ecosystem services, the case of Telemark Fylke, Norway (2011-2015).
- Elham Sumarga: Spatial Modelling ecosystem dynamics and ecosystem services supply in Kalimantan (2011-2015).
- Aritta Suwarno: Analysing economic benefits from Indonesia forest resources with an ecosystem services approach (2011-2015).
- Frederiek van Lienen: Analysis of innovative business models inspired by sustainable use of ecosystems, biodiversity and biomimicry (2011-2015).
- Yafei Wang: Role of urban ecosystem services in improving indoor environmental quality (2011-2015).
- Hongjuan Qu: Assessing Nitrogen River Loads and Coastal Ecosystem Health with the NEWS Model (2012-2016).
- Lucie Vermeulen: A Spatially Explicit Modeling Approach to Estimate Waterborne Pathogen Concentrations in the World's Surface Waters (2012-2016).
Some Recent Publications
Alders, J. G. M., R. H. L. M. van Boxtel, W. Dekker, J. E. C. de Groot, D. H. Hirsch, O. Hoes, R. Leemans, A. J. Maat, R. Rabbinge, N. Roozen, M. B. Vos, T. J. Wams, J. Zuidam, L. M. L. H. A. Hermans, F. Karimi, M. M. Monteiro, A. W. M. Eijs, en F. J. van Zadelhoff. 2011. Groene groei: Investeren in biodiversiteit en natuurlijke hulpbronnen. Eindrapport, Taskforce Biodiversiteit en Natuurlijke Hulpbronnen, Den Haag.
Eshun, J., J. Potting, and R. Leemans. 2011. LCA of the timber sector in Ghana: preliminary life cycle impact assessment (LCIA). The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 16:625-638.
Fortuin, K., K. van Koppen, and R. Leemans. 2011. The value of conceptual models in coping with complexity and interdisciplinarity in environmental sciences education. Bioscience 61:802-814.
Hein, L. and R. Leemans. 2012. The Impact of First-Generation Biofuels on the Depletion of the Global Phosphorus Reserve. AMBIO: A Journal of the Human Environment 43: 1-9.
Hulme, M., M. Mahony, S. Beck, C. Görg, B. Hansjürgens, J. Hauck, C. Nesshöver, A. Paulsch, M. Vandewalle, H. Wittmer, S. Böschen, P. Bridgewater, M. C. Diaw, P. Fabre, A. Figueroa, K. L. Heong, H. Korn, R. Leemans, E. Lövbrand, M. N. Hamid, C. Monfreda, R. Pielke, J. Settele, M. Winter, A. B. M. Vadrot, S. van den Hove, and J. P. van der Sluijs. 2011. Science-Policy Interface: Beyond Assessments. Science 333:697-698.
Ignaciuk, A., M. Rice, J. Bogardi, J. G. Canadell, S. Dhakal, J. Ingram, R. Leemans, and M. Rosenberg. 2012. Responding to complex societal challenges: A decade of Earth System Science Partnership (ESSP) interdisciplinary research. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability 4: 67-72.
Jacxsens, L., Luning, P., Vorst, v.d., Jack, Devlieghere, F., Leemans, R. and Uyttendaele, M.: 2010, 'Simulation modelling and risk assessment as tools to identify the impact of climate change on microbiological food safety - the case study of fresh produce supply chain', Food Research International 43, 1925-1935.
Lahsen, M., R. Sanchez-Rodriguez, P. R. Lankao, P. Dube, R. Leemans, O. Gaffney, M. Mirza, P. Pinho, B. Osman-Elasha, and M. S. Smith. 2010. Impacts, adaptation and vulnerability to global environmental change: challenges and pathways for an action-oriented research agenda for middle-income and low-income countries. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability 2:364-374.
Reidsma, P., Ewert, F., Oude Lansink, A. and Leemans, R.: 2010, 'Adaptation to climate change and climate variability in European agriculture: The importance of farm level responses', European Journal of Agronomy 32, 91–102.
Richardson, K., Steffen, W., Liverman, D., Barker, T., Jotzo, F., Kammen, D., Leemans, R., Lenton, T., MunasingheMohan, Osman-Elasha, B., Schellnhuber, J., Stern, N., Vogel, C. and Wæver, O.: 2011, Climate Change: Global Risks, Challenges and Decisions, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Sachs, J., Remans, R., Smukler, S., Winowiecki, L., Andelman, S.J., Cassman, K.G., Castle, D., DeFries, R., Denning, G., Fanzo, J., Jackson, L.E., Leemans, R., Lehmann, J., Milder, J.C., Naeem, S., Nziguheba, G., Palm, C.A., Pingali, P.L., Reganold, J.P., Richter, D.D., Scherr, S.J., Sircely, J., Sullivan, C., Tomich, T.P. and Sanchez, P.A.: 2010, 'Monitoring the world's agriculture', Nature 466, 558-560.
Academic positions
Current membership editorial boards of international scientific journals:
- Editor in chief of the journal Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability (COSUST; Elsevier)
- Member of the Editorial Board of Climatic Change (Kluwer)
- Member of the Editorial Board of Carbon Balance and Management (PubMed)
- Member of the Editorial Board of Earth System Dynamics (Copernicus Publications)
- Member of the Editorial Board of Environmental Science and Policy (The ScientificWorld)
- Member of the Faculty of 1000 (Biology section)
Membership Academies of Sciences & other national and international scientific organisations:
- Member of the Ecological Society of America, International Association of Vegetation Science (IAVS), American Geophysical Union (AGU) and the International Association of Integrated Assessment (IAIA)
- Member of the Evaluation Panel Earth System Science (PE10) of the European Research Council
- Member of the De Koninklijke Hollandsche Maatschappij der Wetenschappen (Haarlem).
- Member of the Platform ‘Biodiveristy, ecosystems and ecosystem services’, a collaboration of Dutch NGOs, business, sectorial organisations and government to implement no-net-loss biodiversity policies.
- Member of several scientific advisory and evaluation boards (e.g. Greenfacts, MISTRA-SVECIA, MISTRA-Future Forests and Carbo-extreme)
Links
Hyperlinks to interesting sites connected to work (e.g. international organizations, project pages etc.):
| www.ipcc.ch |
Prof. Leemans is lead author of several chapters in the IPCC assessments and special reports and will be review editor of the ‘Detection and attribution of observed impacts’ chapter in the fifth assessment report |
| www.essp.org |
Prof. Leemans chairs the Scientific Committee of the Earth System Science Partnership |
| www.maweb.org |
Prof. Leemans chaired the responses working group and is author of several synthesis reports |
| www.taskforcebiodiversiteit.nl |
Prof. Leemans is a member of the Dutch Taskforce on Biodiversity |
| www.f1000biology.com |
Prof. Leemans is one of the selected evaluators of Faculty of 1000 Biology. |