ELI member of the week: Marnik Vanclooster

Every week, discover a new profile of a member of the Earth and Life Institute. This week, we’re kicking off the series with Marnik Vanclooster, the Head of the Institute.

Could you briefly introduce yourself, your role, and the work you do in ELI?

Vanclooster Marnik, Academic, ELI-E

Role: Professor, AGRO teacher, ELI researcher

The work I do:

I teach on the Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes in bioengineering, including courses on hydrology, soil hydrodynamics, mass, energy and fluid transfer phenomena, applied computing, and integrated water resources management, amongst others. I also supervise projects and final-year dissertations of the AGRO master students.

I conduct research in the field of agricultural hydrology and integrated water resources management. I analyse how agricultural practices and inputs (nutrients, plant protection products, etc.) influence water resources and what optimisation strategies can be implemented in this area. This research focuses primarily on agricultural systems in countries of the Global South, where food security is a crucial issue, particularly in the context of climate change. I also develop techniques and methodologies to support this research, notably hydrogeophysical techniques, environmental monitoring and modelling methods. To this end, I am supported by a strong team of researchers, PhD students and postdoctoral researchers.

In terms of service to the scientific community, I regularly sit on assessment panels for research projects, PhD theses and HDR theses. I also sit on the editorial board of two scientific journals in my field: "Hydrology and Earth System Sciences" and "Agricultural Water Management". In terms of service to UCLouvain, I hold the position of "Academic Chair" for the Circle U inter-university alliance. I also help to coordinate Louvain4Water and, on since 2021 I  serve as chair of our institute.

Could you tell us a little about your research team and your research topics? 

My research team changes regularly. It currently comprises seven PhD students and four postdoctoral researchers, the majority of whom are involved in projects under joint supervision and/or co-supervision. Each year, several master’s students also join the team.

Two PhD students are working to improve water management practices in regions facing even greater water constraints than those encountered in Belgium, notably in the lowlands of Benin and within the context of Tunisian agriculture. Three PhD students are seeking to improve the management of fertilisers and plant protection products in order to protect water resources intended for drinking water treatment in Benin and Senegal. Two others are working to improve environmental monitoring systems for water resources using remote sensing, particularly in the context of protecting water resources against diffuse pollution from agricultural and other sources. Two of my postdoctoral researchers also work part-time at federal institutes, notably the Royal Observatory of Belgium and the Royal Museum for Central Africa.

The research question underpinning all these activities is as follows: how can agricultural management and agro-environmental monitoring techniques help to adapt agricultural production in order to strengthen food security, whilst ensuring the sustainable management of water resources?

What was your career path before taking up your current post at ELI?

I attended secondary school in Roeselare, Flanders, where I was born. I then studied agricultural engineering, specialising in rural engineering, before completing a PhD at KU Leuven. Even whilst working on my PhD, I was interested in the issue of nitrogen management in agricultural production systems in Belgium, combining an experimental approach with modelling. After my PhD, I worked on several European projects as a research assistant, before moving to Grenoble to undertake a post-doctoral fellowship. It was during this period that I began to study the impacts of climate change on water resources in agricultural production systems. Following my post-doctoral research, I had the opportunity to join UCLouvain, first as a researcher, then as an assistant professor, before being appointed lecturer and, finally, full-time professor.

In practical terms, what is your day-to-day life like?

There isn’t really a set daily routine: every day is different. I travel a lot as part of projects in the Global South and European projects. Apart from these missions, my working day usually begins with a train journey between Bruges – where I live – and Louvain-la-Neuve. I make the most of the five hours I spend travelling each day to read, catch up and check my emails, as well as to read, proofread and draft reports. From time to time, I also take the opportunity to chat with some of my colleagues. Once I arrive in Louvain-la-Neuve, my work involves, in particular, preparing and delivering lectures, supervising my research group’s work and liaising with students and researchers. It also includes numerous meetings since I took on the role of chair of the institute.

Do you have a hobby, a passion, a hidden talent, something you enjoy doing or care deeply about outside of work?

I try to set aside a bit of time for sport (cycling, jogging, etc.). I’m also interested in history, which isn’t really surprising for someone coming from Bruges. As for my hidden talents, there are several that are still a mystery even to me! One talent that isn’t hidden, however, is that I’m fluent in West Vloams, the most beautiful and sophisticated language in the universe. Otherwise, my days are always very full, and I try to devote whatever time is left to my family: my wife, my six children and, perhaps soon, my grandchildren…

Can you name one thing you particularly appreciate at the Earth and Life Institute?

I feel a great sense of responsibility for what is happening to our planet and the life that thrives on it. I am also deeply committed to our university’s values. As an interested person in history, I can see that humanity has made extraordinary progress, not least thanks to science and the institutes that have helped to advance it. I am therefore delighted to be able to play a part in the life of such a research institute. ELI is still in its infancy, but it brings together a wealth of talent, recognised expertise and the resources needed to consolidate the scientific foundations that will enable us to design, imagine and create the world of tomorrow. It is a real pleasure to be able to contribute to this process of collective imagination alongside our supportive teams and colleagues. Despite the tensions that may arise from time to time in my work — which is entirely normal when working within a human ecosystem — the days when I’ve had to come to Louvain-la-Neuve ‘reluctantly’ have, fortunately, been very few and far between.