Allert Bijleveld

Dr. Allert Bijleveld is a Senior Scientist at the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), specializing in behavioral ecology and movement ecology within coastal ecosystems. His research focuses on understanding how animals adapt to dynamic environments like the Wadden Sea, particularly investigating animal movement, spatial distribution, and responses to environmental changes such as sea-level rise and human activities. He integrates tracking technologies, field experiments, and modeling to study species like Red Knots, exploring topics such as animal personality, foraging strategies, and trophic interactions.

Education:

• PhD in Ecology (cum laude), University of Groningen (2009–2015)
• MSc in Ecology & Evolution (cum laude), University of Amsterdam (2007)
• BSc in General Biology, University of Amsterdam (2006)

Research Interests:

• Animal personality and behavioral consistency
• Social foraging and information use
• Trophic interactions in intertidal systems
• Impact of environmental changes on coastal ecosystems

Awards:

• Wadden Academy Prize (2015) for best PhD thesis on Wadden Sea-related research

Advising & Grants:

• Supervises PhD candidate Evy Gobbens on shorebird behavior and Wadden Sea ecology
• Recipient of NWO Veni/Vici funding for the WATLAS tracking project
• Principal investigator for projects on sea-level rise impacts and intertidal biodiversity

Labs/Teams: Leads the WATLAS initiative for high-throughput shorebird tracking and collaborates on the SIBES long-term monitoring program.