SENSE   |  In conversation with our researchers

Meet the Researcher

In this edition: Corné Opgenoort

Corné tells us about their PhD research, the challenges they encounter, and their vision on water infrastructures to cope with water shortages. Read on to find out what drives them.

Background

My name is Corné Opgenoort, I am 25 year old 2nd year PhD, with a background in Environmental Sciences. I did both by Bachelor and Master at Wageningen University & Research (WUR), where I now also do my PhD. During my Masters I specialized in the technical / engineering side of environmental problems. Via my thesis at the Environmental Technology group, I learned about network optimization and the tools they use in that field ranging from mathematical- to AI models. This piqued my interest so much that I did an internship at TNO where I used machine learning to tackle the operation of geothermal facilities. I am currently based at the WIMEK and Environmental Technology group at Wageningen University & Research. My supervisor and co-promotor is Shahab Shariat Torbaghan, and my promotors are Huub Rijnaarts and Adriaan Mels. I am involved in the STURDI project.

Research

Delta regions such as Zeeland are often seen as water-rich, but climate change is increasingly causing water shortages. My PhD project explores the concept of a Water Bank, where excess water is stored during wet periods and used during shortages. I focus on how to organize the water infrastructure to integrate this system while managing water quantity and quality.

What motivated you to pursue this research topic?

During my thesis and internship, I learned about the world of mathematical optimization and machine learning. This piqued my interest, and my desire to learn more. Besides that, I have always been interested in the water infrastructure and its organization. This PhD was the perfect opportunity to combine these interests, explore this field further and hopefully contribute to society along the way.

What is the biggest challenge in your research, and how are you approaching it?

I would say my biggest challenge is being a master of many topics, rather than an expert in just one. My research combines water engineering, water treatment modelling, machine learning, and mathematical optimization, so I constantly have to switch between different fields and ways of thinking. I approach this by embracing that interdisciplinary nature and focusing on how these different areas can complement each other to address the research problem.

Societal Relevance & Collaboration

I hope my research can contribute to the transition in the Netherlands from keeping water out to finding ways to retain and make better use of it. I also hope to bridge the gap between different fields, bringing together water engineering, modelling, machine learning, and optimization to help develop more sustainable and resilient water systems.

What kind of change would you like to see in your field over the next 10 years?

More opensource models, with clear documentation and equation sheets, to accelerate future research.

What can researchers from other disciplines or countries learn from your work?

I think my work shows that interdisciplinary modelling is both valuable and challenging. When combining different fields and methods, it is not always easy to make the process fully transparent or understandable to everyone involved. I hope to show the importance of clear communication and transparency when working across disciplines.

Life as a PhD Researcher

What do you enjoy most about being a PhD researcher within SENSE?

The vast amount of PhD courses available.

What advice would you give to someone starting a PhD in environmental or sustainability sciences?

Embrace the interdisciplinary nature of the field. You may feel like you need to learn and do everything yourself, but you don’t. People are often more open to collaboration than you might expect. Be curious, ask questions, reach out to others, and be open to learning from different perspectives.

What do you enjoy outside of your research?

Outside of my research, I enjoy a mix of things. I love playing board games, and I recently got Mahjong as a gift from one of my colleagues, so we had a big game night to try it out. I also enjoy swimming, drumming, (vintage) photography and spending time in the kitchen cooking and baking

Do you have a fun fact or surprising detail about yourself that you’d like to share with the SENSE community?

We have a full on prank wars going on in my office, recently me and a coworker bought a 2 by 2 meter blanket of a coworker’s zoomed in face which we now use as blanket on our couch.