Tom Wils

Dr. Tom Wils is an Assistant Professor at Utrecht University's Faculty of Geosciences (Human Geography and Spatial Planning department). His work bridges geography education with Anthropocene research, focusing on:

• Learning to negotiate wicked environmental problems
• Dendroclimatology in tropical regions
• Peatland subsidence mitigation in the Netherlands
• Climate change education through co-created learning

Key research themes include epistemic diversity, deep time perspectives, and transformative education for sustainable development. He contributes to the Tropical Tree-Ring Network and co-develops educational materials like the buiteNLand schoolbooks. Notable collaborations include the NWA-LOSS project and the Embassy of Peat initiative.

His recent Science (2025) publication on tropical tree resilience to drought has gained international attention, revealing a 2.5% average growth reduction during dry years. He leads innovative approaches in dialogic teaching and powerful knowledge frameworks in Dutch and Caribbean geography education.