The project GROW team is an interdisciplinary group of researchers from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel coming from various backgrounds such as Analytical Geochemistry, Hydrogeology, or Communication Sciences. Diversity of skills and perspectives is what makes our team unique and allows us to look at innovations for sustainable water management in a more comprehensive way.
GROW team
As a professor in Groundwater Hydrology I am passionate about research, education and outreach on hydrogeology, groundwater modeling, geostatistics, groundwater-surface water interaction, sustainable groundwater management, drought and climate adaptation. I am coordinating the interdisciplinary and very relevant GROW project. My research is situated at the intersection of social theory, cultural theory and philosophy and focuses on the social role of media and communication. My focus is on societal challenges (such as democracy and citizenship, climate change, globalisation). In that context, I have gained extensive experience in both qualitative and quantitative research on perceptions, representation, sensemaking, youth, media, culture and democracy. My research is about how people perceive the world around them, whether through media reports or not, how these perceptions relate to their social background and position, and how this influences their behaviour. The focus of my research is on environment and in particular in relation to consumption behaviour and social inequality. I have a mixed professional background as an academic, scientific advisor and policy maker. I have been professor in 3 universities in aquatic (organic) chemistry and water resources management, and had leadership roles in the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, focusing on the WFD and REACH. I am passionate in providing quality science advice across the science - policy interface and the education of young people to do the same. In GROW, I am active in the GW geochemistry. I am an environmental engineer with a passion for geology and hydrogeological modelling deeply committed to fostering a healthier relationship between people and the natural environment. My current research is focused on to the assessment of the environmental impacts arising from the reuse of treated wastewater in agriculture. In my spare time, I develop software and tools for hydrological and hydrogeological research. As a passionate chemist, my primary focus centers around the analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and xenoestrogens in water and soil samples using CALUX bioassay. In this project, I contribute to environmental monitoring efforts, aiming to gain insights into the presence and potential impact of these contaminants on the safe reuse of treated wastewater for irrigation purposes. I'm a PhD researcher, focusing on the impacts of drought adaptation measures on groundwater availability in Flanders. Within the GROW project, I investigate the effect of sub irrigation on groundwater levels in the study area. For this, I use new groundwater flux sensor data and groundwater modeling tools to understand the impact of this drought adaptation measure.
Marijke Huysmans
Professor in Groundwater Hydrology
Joke Bauwens
Professor of Communication Studies
Pascal Verhoest
Professor in Communication Studies
Steven Eisenreich
Guest Professor
Mateusz Zawadzki
PhD Researcher
Yiqi Su
PhD Researcher
Lara Speijer
PhD Researcher
Project partners
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