Pepijn Bakker

Dr. Pepijn Bakker is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Science, Earth and Climate department of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. His research focuses on understanding climate system dynamics across centuries to millennia using climate models and paleoclimate data archives. He specializes in investigating mechanisms driving past climate changes, particularly during the Last Interglacial, Last Glacial Maximum, and Holocene periods.

Key research themes include:

• Ice sheet dynamics and their impact on ocean circulation
• Climate sensitivity to freshwater input and greenhouse gas forcings
• Reconstructing past sea level changes and storm surge patterns
• Modeling interactions between polar ice sheets and global climate systems

Dr. Bakker teaches courses such as Climate Modelling and Modelleren van Systeem Aarde, integrating cutting-edge research into education. He leads major projects including the Antarctic Ice Sheet during the Last Interglacial (2020-2025) and Mechanisms of Centennial Climate Variability (2024-2028), focusing on ocean circulation and ice sheet-climate feedbacks.

His work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to climate action (SDG13) and life below water (SDG14) through improved understanding of climate system behavior under warming conditions.

Collaborative datasets include contributions to the Community Earth System Model (CESM) simulations and paleoclimate reconstructions, emphasizing methodological advancements in model-data comparisons.