Matthieu Kervyn De Meerendre

Matthieu Kervyn De Meerendre is a Professor in the Department of Geography at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). His research focuses on volcanic hazards, landslide dynamics, and disaster risk management in tropical and volcanic regions. He has held leadership roles including Dean/Department Chair and oversees large-scale projects such as the MECOMA volcanic erosion modeling initiative and the Rwanda-Rwenzori Mountains socio-ecological resilience program. Key areas of expertise include volcanic risk assessment in East Africa, geomorphological analysis of volcanic edifices, and community adaptation strategies in data-scarce environments.

His recent work involves assessing lava flow susceptibility at Nyamulagira/Nyiragongo volcanoes and evaluating volcanic risk communication effectiveness in Goma (DR Congo). Research outputs span over 240 publications with a h-index of 37, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches combining fieldwork, GIS modeling, and analogue experiments. Supervised theses include vulnerability assessments in Goma and landslide studies in the Rwenzori Mountains.

• Projects (2024-2029): MECOMA (volcanic cone erosion), HERC65 (X-ray geological analysis), VLIR429 (Rwenzori flood resilience)
• Grants/Activities: Oversees 35+ funded projects, including bilateral PhD collaborations with Uganda and Antarctic micrometeorite studies
• Labs/Teams: Leads volcanic hazards research group and geohazards modeling initiatives

Recent publications emphasize volcanic risk perception in crisis scenarios, climate adaptation by smallholder farmers, and quantitative volcanic edifice degradation analysis.