Jan van Gils

Jan van Gils is a Professor at the University of Groningen and Senior Scientist at the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) since 2014. His research focuses on the ecological impacts of climate change on migratory shorebirds, particularly the red knot, across Arctic breeding grounds, Dutch Wadden Sea stopover sites, and tropical wintering areas in West Africa and Oman.

His work examines phenotypic changes (body size reduction, sex ratio shifts), predator-prey interactions, and global ecosystem linkages. Recent studies investigate trophic mismatches in Arctic food webs and the role of migratory birds in maintaining intertidal biodiversity.

• 2024: Trophic mismatch mechanisms in Arctic shorebirds
• 2018: Staging site energy budgets in migratory birds
• 2016: Climate-driven body shrinkage in red knots

Major awards include the NWO-VICI Grant (2019), ALW Open Competition Grants (2018, 2011), and Netherlands Polar Programme Grant (2017). He leads projects on Arctic warming effects and predator-driven ecosystem dynamics, with fieldwork in Siberia, Alaska, Mauritania, and Oman.