Dirk has joined CML in March of 2018. He will write his PhD dissertation on the evolution of soil organic matter with the application of different amendments to croplands.

More information about Dirk-Jan Kok

Professional experience

Dirk-Jan acquired his BSc. in Earth Sciences at the Faculty of Geosciences of Utrecht University in 2014. Following also the minor program in Archaeology, he would make his first appearance at Leiden University’s Van Steenis in 2013.

Dirk acquired his MSc. and Ir. from the faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences in TU Delft in 2017. His work become agriculturally oriented after his participation in a project on assessing farmer susceptibility to climate variations in Sudan. He graduated from the Department of Water Management with a publication on ‘Phosphorus recovery from wastewater for agricultural reuse’.

Throughout his academic trajectory, Dirk has maintained involvement in Leiden’s student life.  In 2016 he fulfilled board positions at Leiden University’s Student Swimming and Water Polo Association, E.L.S.Z.W.V. Aquamania. During his studies, he also acquired temporary employment as a consultant at the United Nations World Water Assessment Programme in Perugia, Italy.

Research topic

Dirk has joined CML in March of 2018. His work at Leiden University involves the study of soil organic matter dynamics in croplands. His research is a component of Social Innovation for Nutrient re-Cycling and Resource Efficiency (SINCERE) project of Wagening U&R and Leiden University, and is financed by the Dutch Research Organisation’s (NWO) call: ‘closed cycles: transition to a circular economy’. The goal of his research is to develop a model that allows assessment of the impact of different organic amendments on the soil microbiology and soil functional properties such as water retention, nutrient availability, and carbon sequestration potential.