Detlef van Vuuren
Prof. dr. Detlef van Vuuren
Today, I am a senior researcher at PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency and professor of Global Environmental Change at the Copernicus Institute at Utrecht. In this role, I am – among others – very active for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Interestingly, my academic journey so far has been closely tied to the environmental and sustainability sciences at Utrecht University, where I once studied ‘Environmental Sciences’ (now known as Global Sustainability, Sustainable Development, and Water Science & Management). During my studies, the need for a student organization was very clear – and that is why I helped establish the Study Association Storm -and became the very first chairman. Over the years, I have witnessed the growth of Storm from a small group of students to a thriving student association. Clearly, studying environmental or sustainability sciences requires more than can be offered in the official curriculum, and it is therefore important that Storm complements the curriculum by providing students opportunities for all kinds of social interaction, lectures and symposia but also helps the university offering well-shaped courses (for instance by interaction with the university staff and course evaluations). As such, Storm's role in creating a new generation of environmental and sustainability professionals is critical in the transition towards a more sustainable world. I am honoured to be part of the Committee of Recommendation.
