Boris Jansen

Visit the website of the research institute IBED

My current positions

I work as assistant professor of the Earth Surface Science Research group of the Institute for Biodiversity and EcosystemDynamics at the University of Amsterdam.

My research interests lie with biogeochemistry in general and in particular the fate of compounds, natural and anthropogenic, in terrestrial ecosystems. How does the chemistry of soils and sediments regulate the transportation, transformation and preservation/degradation of compounds in those systems? How is this chemistry, and thereby the fate of compounds, altered by natural or anthropogenic change? And, most importantly, what are the implications for the functioning of ecosystems as a whole?

Having a background in environmental chemistry and soil science, I use applied analytical chemistry as my primary tool to tackle the questions at hand. In this respect I have a special interest in applying new analytical chemical techniques to soil systems. However, I realize that analytical chemistry alone does not suffice to understand the intricacies of terrestrial ecosystems in their full complexity. Therefore, I am a strong proponent of a multidisciplinary approach and always perform my research in cooperation with specialists from other groups, such as computational scientists, vegetation experts and (paleo-) ecologists. I have noticed that such collaboration, including the application of methods and approaches from other disciplines to soil chemical problems, often leads to surprising solutions to puzzles that at first appeared unsolvable.

In addition to my position as assistant professor, I hold a position of Science Officer of the research institute IBED.

Until 2011, I was President of the Dutch Soil Science Society, which is the official representative of the Dutch soil sciences within the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) and the European Confederation of Soil ScienceSocieties(ECSSS). I am currently Outreach Secretary of the Soil Systems Sciences Division of the European Geosciences Union.

Links

For more information about my personal background and CV,  my research interests and my publications, please follow the links on top of this page. Or follow the links below for general information about our the Earth Surface Processes and Materials Research Group, or to visit my linked-in profile.

The Chair of Earth Surface Science

My linked-in profile