Gerard van der Steenhoven

Gerard van der Steenhoven is a part-time Professor at the University of Twente's ITC Faculty and a Special Advisor to the Dutch Government's Ministry of the Interior. He has held leadership roles including Director General of the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI, 2014–2023), Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology at the University of Twente (2008–2014), and President of the Netherlands Physical Society (2007–2013). His career spans academic, governmental, and international science management, with a focus on climate science, meteorology, and astroparticle physics.

Education: PhD in experimental physics from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (1987), followed by postdoctoral research at MIT (1987–1989). He joined Nikhef (National Institute for Subatomic Physics) in 1989, leading research in nuclear and high-energy physics, including the HERMES experiment at DESY and astroparticle projects like ANTARES.

Research Interests: Climate risk reduction, earth observation systems, satellite instrumentation, nuclear physics, and the intersection of meteorology with policy. He spearheaded KNMI's infrastructure modernization, creating a National Early Warning Center and driving European initiatives like the EUMETSAT council (2018–2022). Current activities include climate initiatives such as the Delta Climate Centre and advising on disaster resilience.

Awards: Member of Merit (NNV, 2014), Shell Travel Award (1988). Collaborations include HERMES and ANTARES consortia. Active in public science communication and policy advocacy through lectures and assessment committees.