Peter H. Verburg

Peter H. Verburg is a Full Professor of Environmental Spatial Analysis at the Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, leading the Environmental Geography group. He has held this position since 2010 and previously served as an Assistant Professor at Wageningen University (2003–2010) and Senior Researcher at Alterra (2009–2010). His research focuses on land use analysis, spatial modeling, and interdisciplinary environmental studies.

Education:

• PhD in Land Use Modelling, Wageningen University (2000)
• MSc in Physical Geography, Wageningen University (1996)

Key Research Interests:

Dr. Verburg is renowned for developing the globally used CLUE land-use modeling framework. His work integrates methods from social sciences, econometrics, and earth sciences to analyze land-use patterns and policies. He actively contributes to EU projects on sustainable urban planning, climate adaptation, and ecosystem services. Current roles include co-Editor-in-Chief of Landscape and Urban Planning, member of the Earth Commission, and Science-Policy Interface member of UNCCD.

Professional Activities:

• Former Chair of Global Land Programme (Future Earth)
• Lead researcher in multiple EU initiatives (e.g., BrightspotsCSA, TURAS)
• Organized workshops on land-use modeling and ecosystem services

Awards:

• Highly Cited Researcher (2018, Web of Science top 1%)

Research and Collaboration:

He has published over 415 peer-reviewed articles and supervised 38 PhD theses. His projects span land-use modeling in China, Central Asia, and the Mekong region. Collaborations include UN agencies, European research networks, and global sustainability initiatives.