Philip S.J. Minderhoud

Philip S.J. Minderhoud is an Associate Professor at Wageningen University in Coastal-Deltaic Land Subsidence and Relative Sea-Level Rise. He is specialized in land subsidence, coastal elevation and relative sea-level rise in coastal-deltaic areas and sinking cities. His interdisciplinary research encompasses scientific fields of geology, geomorphology hydrogeology, geomecahnical engineering, numerical modelling and remote sensing.

His research focuses on increasing the fundamental understanding of processes and drivers of coastal subsidence, providing better measurements and quantifications of contemporary sinking rates and developing numerical capacities to provide better spatial-temporal assessments of current and projections of future coastal subsidence, sinking cities and non-linear relative sea-level rise.The research also entices the development of effective solutions and mitigation strategies to combat coastal subsidence and sinking of coastal cities and river deltas.

He is an awarded university professor who supervised over 40 individual Postdocs, PhD, Graduate and undergraduate students and thrives for his pupils to reach their highest potential and achieve their career ambitions.

With his focus on international and impact-orientated research aiming to create awareness and research uptake, and he is actively engaging with policymakers, international NGO and (inter)governmental organisations (e.g. UNDRR) to facilitate science-to-policy translation and jointly develop strategies to cope and mitigate coastal land subsidence and accelerated relative sea-level rise.

He is a prime expert on the Mekong delta and is leading international research projects in deltas and sinking cities around the world (Asia, Africa (Gulf of Guinea), Europa and Oceania). He is an active member of the UNESCO’s Land Subsidence International Initiative (LaSII) and he has initiated the International Panel on Land Subsidence (IPLSubsidence.org) aiming to bring together the different scientific disciplines working on coastal vertical land motion and to improve future IPCC’s sea-level rise projections through the proper inclusion of vertical land motion and coastal subsidence.