Me and water ... 

My passion for water started unconsciously early on during a hike in the mountains:

It was a beautiful sunny day, and the scenic path went steep up and down. I was passed through dark pine forests and luscious meadows. I jumped over stepping stones across a wetland, along rocky outcrops or soil deposits, and finally, had a break next to a refreshing mountain stream. One naturally started an unceasing struggle to dam the stream, never wondering where the water came from. The sudden rainfall wrecked the perfect playground and turned the way back into a miserably wet and muddy adventure. One was more interested in the squeaking boots than why the stream turned from gentile to dangerously aggressive with much more water or where all the rainwater ended up... 

... gauging the ungauged. The choice fell on the Alptal with its long-term good quality data by the WSL, the frequent rainfall and the potential to study spatial and temporal processes in pre-alpine areas. It all started with a new tarmac layer on a long, winding forest road in the Zwäckentobel. We walked up and down weekly to see which streams were ephemeral and which were perennial. From the initial 21 streams in the Zwäckentobel, ten streams were gauged with water level recorders and different types of water samples were collected. Having tools to study where the baseflow is coming from and what happens to the rainfall ... 

... 1 μL of water, less than a raindrop, contains information of hydrological processes! (from: PhD thesis)

From the hike until I could read the flow path of the water, it took some detours to a former island where I grew up. There, I became fascinated with civil engineering, especially water. I completed my BSc in civil engineering at the School of Polytechnics in Haarlem. I got valuable hydrological luggage during my MSc. water management - hydrology at the Delft University of Technology. I continued working as a junior researcher in the Delft University of Technology hydrology section. My interest in hydrology and the opportunity to combine and deepen my previous knowledge in hydrology led me to continue to do a PhD. In my PhD project, I got the freedom to investigate the spatiotemporal rainfall-runoff processes in a steep and wet pre-alpine headwater catchment in Switzerland. The findings are published in different hydrological journals.

Simultaneously, for my PhD project, I set up the stable isotope laboratory at the University of Zürich, supervised several internship students, B.Sc. and M.Sc. students, and helped and co-organized different courses. Next to my main PhD project, I could expand his knowledge of spatiotemporal hydrological runoff processes and the application of stable isotopes in several “hobby” side projects.

My journy continued via Stockholm Univeristy (NATGEO) to Uppsala Univeristy (LUVAL) where I am continue to work on different water related projects, teaching and many hobby projects. 

My credo only happy when it rains is influenced by the mid 90's song from Garbagethe "Only Happy When It Rains" and my passion for water. 

Rain ... is an elixir of life that people perform dances for

Rain ... refills the water stores but also causes flooding

Rain ... how rainfall becomes runoff is not straigth forward and more than interesting and exiting to study!