I am Sanne Bethe, a third year PhD candidate at Systems Ecology in A-LIFE. My research is part of the VeenVitaal project where I focus on effects of regenerative agriculture on ecosystem services in Dutch peat meadows, such as CO₂ emissions reduction and water quality improvement. This research allows me to spend a lot of time outside measuring ecosystem processes in the field and work together with many Dutch stakeholders.

When I was young I was fascinated with oceans and always aspired to become a marine biologist. During my bachelor biology, I went on a fieldwork trip to Indonesia where I studied coral and sponge distributions in the intertidal zone. I realized that the day-to-day reality of marine research didn’t align with what I envisioned.It was a great experience, but also really tough. I realized that the day-to-day reality of marine research didn’t align with what I envisioned and decided to not pursue a career in marine biology.

Then I started my masters ecology and evolution at the VU Amsterdam and wasn’t really sure what direction to go in yet till I started one of my research projects. In this project, I studied the effects of fire on invasive seedling establishment on sub-arctic peat soils with implications for the carbon cycle. This started my fascination for peatlands and their ability to store huge amounts of carbon – which is increasingly threatened by climate change and land-use changes. During the end of my masters, a PhD position opened up to study ecosystem recovery in Duch peat meadows under regenerative measures which perfectly aligned with my interests! So far, I have really been enjoying my research!

Besides my research, I am a volunteer at the WWF where I, together with an amazing group of people, work hard to create more awareness for nature and sustainability among people from different age groups and backgrounds. In my free time, I like to run at Leiden Atletiek, cook and spend time with friends!

Next up is Sanne Peters, I look forward to read her story!