Biology

Spreading your wings after your studies?Check out the careers of biology students!

Jobs

Employer Nationwide MBI WUR

University 30 % 33 %(University) Hospital 23 % 4 %Company 21 % 28 %Research Institute 8 % 9 %Educational Institution 7 % 11 %Government 4 % 0 %Foundation/Fund/Association 3 % 4 %Other 3 % 11 %Total number of respondents 731 47

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General Information

20% Other

2% Entrepreneur / Freelancer

9% Project Assistant / Trainee

4% Teacher / Lecturer

2% (Junior) Adviser / Consultant

9% Manager / Project Leader / Clinical Research Associate

2% (Researcher) Technician / Assistant

This booklet provides you with examples of jobs, the alumni are ranging from biologists freshly graduated from Wageningen to people who already have 20 years of work experience. Below, you will find where graduates from Biology and related degrees have found a job within 3 years after graduation. Out of all Wageningen Biology respondents, only 1 was unemployed (5% of biologists nationwide). On average graduates start in their first job within 3-4 months.

PhD student 39%

(Junior) Researcher 13%

Source: NIBI, 2016

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BART STEEN | 2015

TRAINEE @ EUROPEAN COMMISSION (ISPRA, ITALY)

After my BSc in Utrecht and MSc in Wageningen I first worked as a research assistant.

During this time I applied for a job as trainee for the EU. The European Commission has

a large research centre for nature and the environment. I work in the Invasive Species

Team at the Department of Water & Marine Resources. Initially I worked on gathering

information about where these species are found, which is then put into a database.

To this slightly boring activity was soon added the job of designing a method to enable

the use of this information in the guidance of management activities: I build a species

distribution model in order to predict where these species will be found and use this to

show to which locations they might spread further. My work therefore contributes to

both conservation and science.

ILSE NAUS | 2011

EXECUTIVE EDITOR C2W LIFE SCIENCES @ BÈTA PUBLISHERS

(THE HAGUE, NL)

I recently started my job working on the monthly content for the Life Sciences edition

of the journal Chemisch2Weekblad (C2W) from Bèta Publishers. I come up with topics,

supervise freelancers and also conduct interviews and write articles myself. In all this

I am backed by the editorial board. The combination of working with colleagues and

writing the tough specialist content makes it a real challenge. As a biologist I am of

course less au fait with chemistry... The nice thing is, I can make good use of my broad

interests in my job. It is not entirely self-evident to do popular writing as a trained

researcher. Luckily, when I was doing my Master’s, I found out that this is where my

passion lies, so I followed an additional specialisation in science journalism. Meanwhile

I have gained writing experience in several jobs, such as working for the environmental

organisation Milieu Centraal and as a communications officer for Utrecht University.

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FAM CHARKO | 2007

MARINE BIOLOGIST @ PORT PHILLIP ECOCENTRE (MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA)

One of the reasons I decided to study Biology in Wageningen is that they make it easy for

students to do a stint overseas. This is how I got to do a thesis in South Africa and my

internship in Australia. After my MSc I started work as an ecologist at an urban planning

firm, but after a year my dream of moving to Australia became a reality.

Now I am a marine biologist at the Port Phillip EcoCentre in Melbourne, a not-for-profit

organisation that reconnects people with nature and their local waterways, mostly in an

urban context. I do research into marine life and plastic pollution in Melbourne’s big rivers

and Port Phillip Bay. For this I work with environmental community groups, governmental

organisations, universities, schools, central government and other not-for-profits. I do a lot

of marine education for adults and children as well. In addition to my work at the EcoCen-

tre I am a diving instructor for a local diving school and I host a radio show about current

marine issues. I guess this shows how versatile Wageningen biologists are!

HELENE HIWAT | 1996

COORDINATOR MALARIA PROGRAM @ MINISTRY OF HEALTH

(PARAMARIBO, SURINAM)

In 1997 I joined the National Zoological Collection of Surinam as Curator Invertebrates.

I worked there for eight years setting up an insect collection and doing biodiversity

research inland. Since 2005 I have been working as an entomologist for Surinam’s malaria

programme on mosquito population, behavioural and resistance research. Since 2009

this research has primarily focussed on (illegal) inland gold mining sites, because malaria

was still prevalent there. In 2015 Surinam started a malaria eradication programme,

which I was chosen to coordinate. This eradication programme is financed for the greater

part by the ‘Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria’, binding it to short term

targets and success indicators for the prevention and control of malaria.

INSWASTI CAHYANI | 2005

POSTDOC MOLECULAR CELL BIOLOGY @ UNIVERSITY OF OSLO (NORWAY)

After graduating with a BSc in biology (Brawijaya University, Indonesia), I secured a

STUNED scholarship and chose Wageningen University, as it is well-known for its life sci-

ences research. Here I became interested in studying the role of non-coding RNAs as a

cell-defence mechanism. My thesis project was in the group of Prof Rob Goldbach at the

Virology Department. I then taught biology courses at a teachers’ college back in Indone-

sia. In 2011 I started my PhD research (University of Auckland) on the three-dimensional

structure of the yeast genome. I currently work as a postdoc at the University of Oslo. I am

applying my expertise and developing new knowledge on the relationship between nuclear

structure and laminopathies (rare genetic disorders). My dream is to continue basic cell

biology research and to establish my own research group. I like developing scientific col-

laborations and networking, inspired by the different places I have been to and the people

I have met.

LOLA TORZ | 2015

PHD @ CENTER FOR BASIC METABOLIC RESEARCH (COPENHAGEN, DENMARK)

After obtaining my Engineer’s degree in Food Science, Agriculture and the Environment from

ISA, Lille, France, I continued my studies in Wageningen. In Wageningen I could choose

my curriculum and explore new subjects. Together with the few compulsory courses this

really prepared me for my career in research! Since I graduated, I started a PhD in neu-

roscience at the Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research of Copenhagen

University, specialising in gut-brain signalling. My lab’s research focuses on gut-secreted

hormones that signal to the brain. I study in vivo and in vitro how a missense mutation in

the ghrelin receptor affects its physiological function in the brain. Ghrelin is an important

hormone secreted by the stomach that controls food intake and is one of the most studied

targets to cure diabetes, obesity and food disorders. For my PhD I get to travel quite a bit,

visiting our collaborators or attending conferences.

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THIEN-TAM LUONG | 2013

PHD @ HERBARIUM, DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF TURKU

(FINLAND)

Passion is very important in our lives. Everybody has a passion and for me this passion

is called “Bryology”.

Before coming to the Netherlands, I worked as a researcher and lecturer in plant

taxonomy and ecology at the University of Science, Vietnam National University, Ho

Chi Minh City, where my strong interest in bryophytes has been cultivated. In fact,

cryptogams (including mosses, liverworts, hornworts and ferns) are ignored in the

majority of floristic, ecological and taxonomic research in Vietnam, even though they

play important roles in the ecosystem and contribute greatly to biodiversity. Being the

only person who actively studies bryophytes in Vietnam at the moment, I consider this

state of botanical knowledge incomplete; hence I would like to spend a lifelong career

in creating better awareness and discovering new interesting facts about this group of

plants.

The time following a Master’s programme in the Netherlands was fruitful and valuable. I

have met many leading scientists and learnt a lot from them at Wageningen University

and the Nationaal Herbarium Nederland, Naturalis in Leiden. Returning to Vietnam,

having completed two years of MSc training, I continued my job at the university,

working on both teaching and research projects related to plant taxonomy and ecology,

my dream job, since I really enjoy doing research, sharing knowledge and inspiring

students about the world of bryophytes. I later received a job offer from the University

of Turku, Finland, where I will now be working as a PhD student for the next 4 years.

My PhD project aims to solve the taxonomic and phylogenetic problem of a particular

tropical moss family. My research includes the examination of dried specimens from

many herbaria in the world, molecular phylogenetic analyses and also field work in

tropical forests, which is always the most exciting part.

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LINDA DE POORTER | 1996

GROUP LEADER RESEARCH @ AKZONOBEL DECORATIVE COATINGS

(SASSENHEIM, NL)

As a microbiologist in the paint industry I am responsible for the preservation of paints

and coatings. Together with my colleagues I make sure that our paints, factories and

painted objects remain free of bacteria, fungi and algae. We try to achieve this by

means of research, knowledge gathering and advice. Because I work for a multinational

company, I work with people from all over the world. A very interesting and versatile

job, because the manufacturing process of the paint and the way it is marketed and used

differ for each individual country. I am dealing with many different disciplines, from paint

chemistry to purchasing, from legislation to the painter’s trade. This range of knowledge

and experience makes for a dynamic and varied job.

ANDRÉ JELLEMA | 1999

FREELANCE CONSULTANT @ DATA-IMPACT.COM (DRIEBERGEN, NL)

More and more data is becoming available around the world. Satellites provide information

about recent rainfall patterns, allowing for adaptive management by farmers, also in the

most remote areas. Archives of weather information can be used to better estimate

climate risks, selecting the right varieties of crops. Researchers are sharing their data on

agricultural trials. Governments are sharing data on market prices. As a consultant I aim

to support organisations to make better use of these different resources. Currently I am

working on the ‘Agricultural Open Data Package’, a guideline for governments to start

sharing key data sets relevant to agriculture. Next to drafting documents and organising

Skype meetings with people all around the world, I may fly to London for a meeting or

to New York for a conference. Another project, CommonSense, aims to support small

holder cooperatives in Ethiopia with timely and accurate information on the weather,

market prices, and agricultural production risks.

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IRIS DE RONDE | 2004

VEGETATION ECOLOGIST @ CENTRAL GOVERNMENT REAL ESTATE AGENCY

(UTRECHT, NL)

With a team of six ecologists of the central government real estate agency we map

and monitor ecological values on Ministry of Defence terrain across the Netherlands;

from the Vliehors on the island of Vlieland to Woensdrecht Airbase in North-Brabant,

about 25,000 hectares in all. Four of us work on vegetation & flora and two on fauna,

specifically breeding birds, butterflies and dragon-flies. I work on vegetation. From May

to October I go into the field to take vegetation samples and investigate which types

of plants, mosses and lichen occur in a certain area. In addition to this, we map the

different types of vegetation. During the winter period our data are analysed and reports

drawn up. To these reports we always add management advice on conservation.

HILDE DE LAAT | 2016

CONTENT / WEB EDITOR @ TECHNICAL WEEKLY (THE HAGUE, NL)

In the last year of my biology degree I was surprised to be asked to be a content editor

for the Technical Weekly in The Hague. I was doing a minor science communication in

Leiden at the time. I now write popular science articles for academically trained people

and engineers. A tough job, because each week 30,000 readers expect a full newspaper.

Currently I am analysing the results of our annual poll on salaries among people working

in the technical sector. What I enjoy most in this job is going out to do big interviews or

press reports. I put all my articles online and on social media, so feel free to have a look

at tw.nl! In order to have a bit of variation in my writing work I organise scientific events

on a freelance basis. The Netherlands Institute of Ecology open day in Wageningen was

my first major job. This involves a lot of different things: from the route and a treasure

hunt for children to programme items and T-shirts. Six months of hard work brought

more than 2000 happy visitors.

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TIM BOSSINGA | 2007

PRODUCT MANAGER BIOLOGICALS @ KOPPERT BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS

(BERKEL & RODENRIJS, NL)

Because of my interest in entomology I did an internship at Koppert Biological Systems.

After I graduated I could start with them as an adviser on biological pest control in the

Dutch Westland area, also giving support to Russia and the surrounding Russian speaking

countries. During this period I gained a lot of practical and theoretical knowledge which I

still use in my current job: Product Manager Biologicals (from nematode to assassin bug).

I am responsible for marketing. Based on what you hear in the market-place you team

up with R&D to improve existing products or start looking for a better natural predator

for a pest in the Netherlands, or places like Mexico or South Africa. This makes for an all-

round job, in which you have to be able to work closely together with R&D, Production

and Sales. I am still working in the field I chose at Wageningen University and I regularly

meet fellow students and other people from Wageningen from my student days.

MEREL GIJSEN | 2008

CONSULTANT @ PRMA CONSULTING (FLEET, HAMPSHIRE, GREAT BRITAIN)

After four years as a research assistant at the university of Oxford, I started as an analyst

at PRMA Consulting, where I am now a consultant. PRMA Consulting is a consultancy

that supports pharmaceutical companies in collecting and presenting evidence for their

new drugs. In many countries there is a committee that, before a new drug can be

used, assesses what the advantages of the new drug are and whether these outweigh

the costs for patients and the healthcare system. In different countries the files that

companies have to submit must meet different requirements, which makes the process

rather complex. PRMA Consulting helps companies collect the correct information and

submit it in the correct way in order to increase the chances that the drug will be used

and the company can ask a good price.

FEDOR GASSNER | 2006

FREELANCE ENTREPRENEUR @ GASSNER BIOLOGICAL RISK ADVICE

(HOUTEN, NL)

I started as a junior researcher and then as a PhD student in the Entomology Lab

at Wageningen University, studying the ecology of ticks and Lyme disease. After my

graduation I worked at the WUR chair group Environmental Systems Analysis on the

Nature Calendar and naturetoday.com. In 2012 I became a researcher at the National

Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). I enjoyed this very much,

because with a video, leaflets and a ‘serious game’ I was able to put my biological

knowledge about ticks and Lyme disease to good use for the general public!

Since 2015 I have been working as a freelance entrepreneur on a number of projects,

like developing content for websites about Lyme disease, advice to businesses on what

to do if employees have tick bites, drawing up guidelines and giving talks. I also regularly

carry out research: on one occasion I may go looking for ticks in built-up areas, on

another deep in the woods of the Utrechtse Heuvelrug, in the centre of the Netherlands.

I like the freedom you have as an entrepreneur, but there are also disadvantages like

the irregular working hours and a widely fluctuating income.

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RENSKE ONSTEIN | 2011

POSTDOC @ INSTITUTE FOR BIODIVERSITY AND ECOSYSTEM DYNAMICS, UVA

(AMSTERDAM, NL)

I didn’t always have a clear picture of what I wanted to do once I finished my biology

degree. Science perhaps? I had done a nice thesis project on co-evolution between

plants and butterflies in Ghana, but I also enjoyed my internship very much, making the

National Science Quiz for Dutch TV. Nonetheless I kind of automatically ended up as a

PhD student in Switzerland. Science has become a hobby for me – the freedom, the chal-

lenge, the desire to know and understand. After a day at the university I take my brain

home with me – ideas sometimes come to me at the most unexpected moments, for

example on the toilet, in dreams or when I’m cooking. At the moment I am investigating

how fleshy fruits in plants from the tropical forest evolved (adaptation), and whether the

interaction with their fruit-eating seed dispersers and their ecology perhaps contributed

to it. Although much of this work is done behind a computer, now and again it will take

me to the most extraordinary and bio-diverse places on earth – like Borneo’s rainforest.

Our tip: check the blog of Renske.

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SJOERD VAN DER ZON | 2010

ECOLOGY ADVISOR & LICENSOR @ REGIONAL ENFORCEMENT AGENCY

NOORD HOLLAND NOORD (HOORN, NL)

After I finished my degree, I worked as an ecology advisor for a number of engineering

agencies and consultancies. I find the interface of often abstract legal rules and nature

and ecology very interesting. For that reason I have started working for the Regional

Enforcement Agency North-Holland North (NHN), at the Department for Ecology

Regulations. What I find appealing is working on several cases at a time. No two tests or

licences are the same: in the morning you may be working on a licence for pest control

or you may be on site at a farm with an enforcement agent. Then in the afternoon you

check an ecological test report on the construction of a wind park. Sometimes the rules

and regulations are what makes a case complicated and interesting, at other times

the ecology may be very complex. In short, in my job I deal with many fascinating

problems which involve weighing ecological interests against social, economic and

political interests, all within the boundaries of the law.

TIKA AKHIRTA ATIKANA | 2013

PHD @ MOLECULAR ECOLOGY, WUR (WAGENINGEN, NL) /

RESEARCHER @ LIPI (INDONESIA)

I work as a researcher at the Indonesian Institute of Science (LIPI), a government

institute coordinated by the Indonesian Ministry of Research, Science and Technology

and is the scientific authority in Indonesia. It has 45 research centres, including InaCC,

the internationally recognised central depository for microbes in Indonesia, where I

have worked as a curator for bacteriophage collections. InaCC has collections of many

microorganisms, including bacteriophages, yeasts and fungi, from all over Indonesia. In

2011 I was awarded a Netherlands Fellowship Program (NFP) scholarship to follow the

MSc Biology at WUR. When I was doing my minor thesis in microbiology, I gained an

interest in research in molecular ecology and marine microbiology. My PhD project at WUR

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MADELON LOHBECK | 2010

POSTDOC @ WORLD AGROFORESTRY CENTER (KENYA) /

VENI RESEARCH @ WUR (NL&MEXICO)

In 2004 I started my biology degree in Wageningen, focusing mainly on conservation.

Research did not seem very interesting to me. During my studies I volunteered as

a nature guide and for Greenpeace. However, as a student I discovered that doing

research actually really suits me. I enjoy systematically dissecting complexity and

gaining a better understanding through the study of the components.

When I left for Mexico to do my MSc thesis I couldn’t have imagined I would still be

working there eight years later! Here I studied the biodiversity of secondary forests

based on tree functional traits. This led to a PhD project in which I gained insights into

the role of biodiversity and functional traits for the recovery of ecosystem functions like

carbon sequestration and litter decomposition.

When I finished my PhD I obtained a postdoc position at the World Agroforestry Center

in Kenya where I did research on the potential of agroforestry for the recovery of soil

functions in East African agricultural landscapes. I was recently awarded a prestigious

VENI grant to continue my research in Mexico and now I combine my work in Kenya

with a postdoc at WUR. My research focuses on the role of trees and forests in the

multi-functionality of dynamic forest-agriculture landscapes. I hope to understand

to what extent trees and forests contribute to the many functions in the landscape

that farmers also depend on. These include, among other things, the prevention of

erosion, pollination, carbon sequestration and soil fertility. Through this research I try to

contribute to the improved management of tropical forests.

started in 2015 and focuses on exploring sponge microbiota. Having collected marine

sponges from Indonesia we study the diversity of sponge-associated microorganisms of

Indonesian marine sponges. After my PhD I plan to go back to Indonesia and continue

to work as a researcher at LIPI.

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ELINE DE VOS | 1997

RESEARCHER @ CORN. BAK BV – BROMELIACEAE (ASSENDELFT, NL)

During my degree I specialised in entomology, more specifically in tritrophic relations. It

is fascinating to discover how many interactions there are between a plant, a plant eating

insect and the insect’s predator. It turns out that plants are able to actively call for help

when they are being eaten. Where I work in the greenhouse this knowledge continues to

be useful to me. Biological pest control is very important to us. But for me this is more

of a side job, because in my initial job as a cultivation researcher I have moved more

towards plant physiology. Corn. Bak BV is the global market leader in bromeliad breeding

and production. In the wild these tropical plants are epiphytes or semi-epiphytes, i.e.

plants that grow in trees and primarily use their roots for attachment. This makes them

unique within ornamental plant cultivation, incomparable to any other of its products,

and this requires a lot of expert knowledge. It is my job to optimise product quality. As

each bromeliad cultivar requires a different mix of nutrients, climate and substrate, I

have four experimental greenhouses at my disposal where I can vary all possible growing

conditions to investigate how to best grow a cultivar. With this knowledge in hand I can

then help customers to advise them on how to optimise plant quality in their specific

conditions. The more I learn about these special plants, the more my job moves towards

consultancy work. I fly around the world more and more often, not only to help existing

customers with specific problems, but also to open up new markets and make sure

people are supported from the start when learning how to cultivate these plants. My work

is so fascinating that it never gets boring, which is why I have been working here ever

since I finished my degree.

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FLOOR BOERWINKEL | 2004

ADVISER WATER MANAGEMENT @ ARCADIS (AMERSFOORT, NL)

To my Biology degree I have added an additional year of Communication and Innovation

Studies. Through a friend of my parents’ I found a job at Arcadis. Arcadis is an

international design and consultancy agency for public spaces, where I work on water

management projects. Within the company there is a lot of flexibility, as long as you

clearly indicate what you want. I am a generalist, good at combining lots of information

and translating this into informed choices for clients. Together with specialists I work

on the design of dykes and watercourses and the like, often in combination with nature

development or recreation. It is my task to obtain an overview of all interests and

24

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MAURICE LA HAYE | 1997

PROJECT LEADER / RESEARCHER @ DUTCH MAMMAL SOCIETY (NIJMEGEN, NL)

The Dutch Mammal Society is a conservation organisation that is dedicated to the

conservation of all mammals and mammal populations living in the wild in the

Netherlands. The Mammal Society wants to achieve this with the help of its supporters,

including volunteers, researchers and other professionals who work with mammals or

take an interest in them. Working for the Mammal Society involves carrying out your own

research (catching mice like the garden dormouse), coordinating monitoring networks

(for example the NEM Monitoring Network Winter Counts of Bats) or giving advice on

questions concerning the repurposing of forts and other historical buildings. This also

leaves a lot of freedom for the development of new field methods, like ‘eDNA tundra

vole’, with which this rare vole species is tracked through its droppings. In your job at the

Mammal Society you are called upon to use your expertise and your ability to work with

other people. This is highly enjoyable work that you can put a lot of yourself into, that

regularly takes you to magnificent areas of natural beauty and offers you the opportunity

to really make a difference for endangered mammal species.

wishes from stakeholders and make sure they are reflected in the design. This means

I can exert a lot of influence on what the world will look like, my work is very concrete

and tangible and also analytically challenging.

I work with lots of different people, too, and visit many clients, such as infrastructure,

water management or provincial authorities. An international company offers exciting

opportunities; I have been to places like the US, Belgium, Georgia and Poland (see

picture) and I have assisted an international delegation on climate adaptation in cities.

My biological knowledge is not central to my work, but every day I use the analytical

skills I developed during my studies. Neither am I the only one from Wageningen: some

of my fellow students go into the field as ecologists or give advice to multinationals

about the effects and interdependencies of biodiversity.

JORIT DEKKER | 2002

CHANNEL MANAGER @ NOLDUS INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY B.V.

(WAGENINGEN, NL)

Noldus Information Technology develops and sells solutions for human and animal

behavioural research, ranging from software licences to fully equipped observational

laboratories (including training and support). We enable researchers such as biologists

to increase both the quality and quantity of their data. As channel manager at Noldus I

am responsible for a small team that manages our distributors. We communicate with

our distributors about solutions and customer requests, train them in how to sell these

solutions and take care of all manner of logistical and sales questions. A few times each

year I fly to distant countries to talk to distributors and customers over there.

I also act as a liaison between our offices in China and our head office in Wageningen

and in that capacity I deal with staff policy, setting up new offices and resolving

communication problems. I have a very varied job therefore, which goes to show that

as a biologist you are a true all-rounder.

CHANTAL HUIJBERS | 2005

SCIENTIFIC SUPPORT OFFICER @ BIODIVERSITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

VIRTUAL LAB (ASHMORE, AUSTRALIA)

Since my graduation from Wageningen University, I have travelled to many countries.

I started with a PhD in coral reef fish ecology with fieldwork in the Caribbean and East

Africa, followed by a three year postdoctoral research position in Australia. While I loved

the various research project that I was involved in, I chose a slight change of career

to apply my skills and knowledge to the training of the next generation of ecologists.

As the training and scientific support officer for the Biodiversity and Climate Change

Virtual Laboratory (BCCVL), I have developed a range of education materials, including

an online open course, about biodiversity modelling and climate change projections.

Online tools such as virtual labs become more and more important in an increasingly

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NIELS HINTZEN | 2007

FISHERIES BIOLOGIST @ WAGENINGEN MARINE RESEARCH (IJMUIDEN, NL)

Since 2009 I have been working for Wageningen Marine Research, formerly IMARES.

I am working primarily on fish stock estimates, for which I travel across Europe and

often across the world. I take an active part, for example, in stock estimates of herring

in Europe and jack mackerel in the Pacific. Furthermore I develop special software to

analyse GPS data from fishing vessels. This software has enabled us in recent years to

accurately chart the impact of bottom trawl fishing on the sea floor and its fauna and to

assess the consequences of this type of fishing. I find fishing behaviour on small spatial

scales extremely interesting and research in this field makes up a major part of my job.

As a pioneer in stock estimates and advice at Wageningen Marine Research I consider it

my duty to put our institute on the map globally as an ecologically and mathematically

strong team, taking fisheries advice to a higher integrated level.

digital world. The aim of the BCCVL is to lower the threshold to ecological modelling

by taking away the technical barriers so users can focus on the science behind the

models. My job includes a variety of tasks such as providing scientific background for

new developments, engaging with scientists to ensure that our models are correct,

developing training material, giving workshops, and translating science into feasible

tasks for the technical developers. I love it that through my work I can help students,

researchers and managers to make informed decisions based on the effect of climate

change on biodiversity. I am convinced that the comprehensiveness of my Biology degree

in Wageningen as well as my activities in groups like the Biology study association have

been the best foundation for my career and shaped me to be the person I am today.

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Bachelor: www.wur.nl/bbi Master: www.wur.eu/mbi

Get your wings with Biology!