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AvA - Earth Sciences

Mission

The Department of Earth Sciences focuses its research on the understanding of the Earth as a coupled system with emphasis on interaction within and between the geo-, hydro-, bio-, and atmosphere.
The mission of the Department is to develop a knowledge base for qualitative understanding of the Earth as an integrated dynamic system. The Department aims to achieve this by creating optimal focus and mass for its research themes.

The research themes will be build on synergy of expertise and competencies, international scientific leadership and interdisciplinary research.

The tasks of the Department therefore include fundamental and applied research in close interaction with excellent academic training that crosses traditional sub-discipline boundaries to ensure an effective coupling between research and education.

Very good to excellent

In the last assesment of research at our department (published early 2010), covering the research in the period of 2002-2007, the quality of the research at our department rated very good to excellent, without exceptions. Something to be proud off.

The complete report of the assesment can be found at http://www.qanu.nl/.

Leadership

The Department of Earth Sciences (Afdeling Aardwetenschappen; AvA) is one of the 8 institutes of the Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences at VU University Amsterdam. The Department of Earth Sciences is the direct continuation of the Faculty of Earth Sciences after the merger with the Faculty of Biology, the Institute of Environmental Science at the VU in 2002. Formally the Department of Earth Science is a research institute. The bachelors and masters education in Earth Science is administered to the School of Earth and Environmental Science. The Department consists of 7 sections (afdelingen). The Department chooses to assess the research quality at the level of Sections. Each section develops and implements a research programme. The Department studies all aspects of the System Earth, with particular emphasis on an integrated approach to the full complexity of the dynamic Earth System. The research is focused on the Department’s research themes: Earth and Resources, Water, Climate and Environment. The research programme of the Department comprises the following subdisciplines: Tectonics, Sedimentology, Petrology, Isotope Geochemistry, Marine Geology, Climate Change & Landscape Dynamics, Ecohydrology and Hydrogeology.

The department is at present subdivided in 6 Sections and two research clusters to optimally organize the above mentioned research areas.

Cluster 1: Solid Earth Processes

Section Sedimentology
Section Tectonics
Section Petrology
Section Isotope Geochemistry

Cluster 2: Surface processes and environments

Section Geo-environmental Science and Hydrology (formerly Department of Geo-environmental Science and Department of Hydrology and Hydrogeology)
Section Marine Geology
Section Climate Change & Landscape Dynamics

The research groups contribute to three national research schools:

The Netherlands Research School of Sedimentary Geology (NSG) commissioned by the VU
The Interuniversity Centre for Geo-ecological research (ICG) commissioned by UvA
The Research School for Socio-Economic and Natural Sciences of the Environment (SENSE) commissioned by the VU

Effective cooperation in research is realized on a national scale through participation in the Research Centre for Integrated Solid Earth Science (ISES) with Utrecht University and Delft University of Technology, and in the Darwin Centre for Geobiology, with Utrecht University, Netherlands Institute for Ecology, Radboud University Nijmegen, Royal Dutch Institute for Sea Research, Wageningen University and Research. The VU is commissioner of ISES.

In addition the VU-Earth Sciences play a leading role in a number of international research networks.

The formal responsibilities, organization and regulations are described in the “Faculteitsreglement”. Within the department the Board of Heads of Section (Convent van Sectiehoofden; CvH) forms the decision-making body. The “Programma-commissie” is the main advisory committee on scientific issues. The scientific priorities for the Institute’s laboratories are outlined in the different user committees.

Strategy and policy

The research mission is focussed on the understanding of the integrated System Earth. This research focus forms an integral part of the research mission of the VU University Amsterdam as stated in the VU-star. One of the 6 research focus of the VU University Amsterdam is System Earth.
The Department of Earth Sciences plays the central role in this theme. Within the Faculty cooperation of AvA with the Institute for Environmental Science and the Institute for Ecological Sciences exist. Within the VU, the Faculty of Exact Sciences and the Faculty of Economic Sciences are involved in the development of the VU-research priority System Earth.

The research objectives of the Department are closely in line with the priorities in the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO), the European Science Foundation and with a number of research priorities of the European Commission. The Department strives to align its research priorities with external policy to generate an optimal level of external funding. The Department also recognises its responsibility to maintain a solid and complete knowledge base in Earth Sciences. To this aim a careful balance is maintained in the deployment of the limited university funding to safeguard a strategic knowledge portfolio. The Department continuously strives to generate adequate critical mass for its sections and optimal focus in its research themes.

To achieve this mission the Department has defined the following strategy:

Integration of ongoing research with masters teaching, especially through the development of research masters strongly based on the research tradition.
To maintain the level of external research funding at the current level, and where possible to increase this level
Further strengthening of the Institute’s position in international research networks and long term strategic partnerships
In cooperation with our partners, take the initiative to further develop the Dutch Earth Sciences through
- A leading role in the topschool Netherlands Research Centre for Solid Earth Science (ISES), with the ambition to create a European centre of excellence in solid Earth research and utilize the high profile to strengthen the master and PhD training in solid Earth
- A strong participation in the Darwin Institute for Bio-Geology, in collaboration with Utrecht University, NIOZ and a number of other Dutch partners.
- Participate in the BSIK programmes, “Ruimte voor Klimaat” and “Ruimte voor Water”.
- Continue the participation in Research Schools and optimize the cooperation between them.
Further integration and modernisation of laboratory infrastructure adapted to the changing needs of research and education
Further strengthen the impact of System Earth research in society, through encouraging networks with industry and research institutes.
Actively foster and continuously challenge young research talents in order to secure future research and teaching quality at the highest possible level.

Petrology
Climate Change & Landscape Dynamics
Hydrology and Geoenvironmental Sciences
Tectonics and Structural Geology
Sedimentology
Isotope Geochemistry

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