Dr Appy Sluijs, who works at the University of Utrecht, has won the Heineken Young Scientists Award for Environmental Sciences for his research into the changes that arose in the earth’s ecosystems millions of years ago. He reconstructs sudden climate changes caused by natural processes in the past.
His research helps us understand the variability of ecosystems, the climate and natural processes on both human and geological timescales. Dr Sluijs focuses in particular on climate changes in the past that resemble those in the present, making it possible to consider the influence of humankind (for example CO2 emissions) in a geological context.
Dr Sluijs receives Eur10,000 and a work of art designed especially for the award winners, who were announced by Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.