MSc thesis research with the VU Amsterdam, Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM)

A wide range of topics are available (See below). Examples are:

SE1a: Integrating slum dynamics in urban land use models

Urban land use changes models have long been restricted to the simulation of absence and presence of built-up land and the changes therein, thus ignoring the heterogeneity that exists within urban areas. Recently, a number of studies have added some nuance by modelling urban dynamics along the rural-urban gradient. These studies typically include a number of classes varying, for example, in population density and / or the share of built-up land within a pixel. While these models add the necessary nuance, the number and type of classes remains limited. Importantly, slums are missing, while in several parts of the world large parts of the population live in slums. Moreover, the existence of slums is crucially important for a wide range of sustainability indicators. The aim of this thesis project is to extent the CLUMondo model to include slums in the simulation of urban land use dynamics, and explore possible future dynamics under various socio-economic scenarios. The specific case study country or countries can be discussed, depending partially on data availability and the presence of slums.

SE1b: Modelling exposure to extreme heat under future projections of urbanization

Exposure to climate extremes will likely increase in the future due to climate change and population change. This impact will be further aggravated by urbanization, and in particular the urban heat island effect. Yet, the impact of future urbanization scenarios on the exposure to extreme heat is not well understood, at least partly because spatially explicit models of urban development do not provide the necessary information on urban land types and population density. The aim of this thesis project is to develop an urban development model that would allow to calculate population densities as well as the urban heat Island effect, and combine this with future climate change projections to explore exposure to extreme heat under different conditions. Groundwork for the modelling exercise has been done in various applications of the CLUMondo model, while other studies have provided insights into the determinants of urban heat islands, and exposure to extreme temperature. The challenge of this project is to combine these into an operational model. I am interested in applications at a national level, but the specific case study country can be discussed.

SE2: Characterizing urban land use frontiers

Urban areas are increasing rapidly, across the world, and this increase adds to the global competition for land between different uses. Yet, current analyses of urban expansion are rather simplistic, hampering our understanding of this process. The purpose of this study is to develop a more comprehensive characterization of urban expansion, using the concept of a land use frontier. Land use frontiers are the leading edge or dynamic zones where land uses interact, and this concept has primarily been used to study deforestation. Here you will adopt these approaches to analyze urban expansion instead. The case study area is in principle open for discussion, but with a preference for Uganda / Kenya / Tanzania, as this allows linking to ongoing research in this area. Moreover, these countries are highly relevant cases due to the recent, but also the expected future growth in both the metropolitan areas of Nairobi, Kampala and Dar-es-Salaam, as well as a range of secondary cities.

SE3: Sustainable agricultural practices and their impact

 While the agricultural sector in the Netherlands faces many sustainability challenges, there are also farms throughout the Netherlands that are on a pathway towards sustainability. A recent study developed an indicator for the extent to which farms have adopted sustainable agricultural practices, showing a wide range of progress to sustainability across the Netherlands. The level of uptake of sustainable agricultural practices showed a clear relation with farm income stability. We are now interested to what extent sustainable agricultural practices impact environmental sustainability and are looking for a student who would be interested in exploring relations between sustainable agricultural practices on the one hand and water quality and other environmental impacts on the other hand. This research will use a farm level database with emission data to groundwater and ditch water from an established monitoring network. 

Requirements: statistical analysis skills, basic spatial analysis skills 

SE4: Nature -inclusive farming

 The Dutch agricultural sector will have to change profoundly over the coming years and decades, to ensure sustainability and to decrease pressure on nature. Nature inclusive agriculture, i.e. integration of nature in farms can support this transition in two ways: by supporting nature directly, and by providing ecosystem services that can support farming practices and provide alternative income sources. Many Dutch farmers are interested in adopting nature inclusive practices, but it is unclear how much ecosystem services such practices can provide, where, and how funding for nature inclusive farming can support ecosystem service provision. Using GIS data on farm practices, you will update and apply spatially explicit models for ecosystem service provision under different future scenarios. Building on these quantifications, you will identify priority areas for development of nature inclusive farming and evaluate key strategies for supporting its implementation.

Requirements: independent passive command of Dutch, advanced spatial analysis/GIS skills, preferably spatial modelling skills (e.g. python), preferably intermediate empirical data analysis / statistical skills, interest in sustainable agriculture 

The full list of MSc research topic can be found in this Google Sheet database. Look for the Descriptions in column E and availability in column K.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ja3SIMkkxWK2JpjqP7eMOVhTBdVRPnY9P81c3Sru08o/edit#gid=957879502)  

Found something interesting? For more information and questions about the topics: Contact Dr. Nynke Schulp (nynke.schulp@vu.nl)