Paul van Dijk

Paul van Dijk is a physical geographer specializing in soil erosion, sediment transport, and water quality in agricultural landscapes. After completing his PhD at the University of Amsterdam (2001) on the impact of climate change on erosion-driven sediment supply to rivers in the Rhine basin, he worked as a Marie Curie postdoctoral fellow at the University of Strasbourg on regional-scale erosion modelling.

He has since contributed to applied research and territorial projects in the Rhine Rift Valley, including modelling nitrate leaching and developing groundwater quality indicators within INTERREG programmes. Since 2018, he has been working at the Chambre Régionale d’Agriculture Grand Est (CRAGE), focusing on territorial modelling using the MAELIA platform (INRAE).

His current work addresses soil erosion and muddy flood risks at the small catchment scale, with a strong emphasis on evaluating the effectiveness of mitigation measures such as conservation tillage and Nature-Based Solutions. Throughout his career, Paul van Dijk has combined fundamental research with applied, stakeholder-oriented projects, contributing to improved understanding and management of soil and water systems in agricultural landscapes.