Research
A full overview of current and previous research projects can be found on the UGhent research explorer.
Current Research Projects
FWO-project: Does liana proliferation cool down tropical forests?
Team: Hans Verbeeck, Felicien Meunier, Kasper Coppieters (UGent) & Marco Visser (ULeiden)
Funding: Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO)
FWO-project: There’s no such thing as “The Tropical Rainforest”: incorporating heterogeneity of tropical forests in a global vegetation model
Team: Hans Verbeeck, Pascal Boeckx, Marc Peaucelle, Félicien Meunier, Marijn Bauters Ines Vieira (UGent)
Funding: Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO)
FWO jr postdoc grant - Félicien Meunier
Modelling the current and future impacts of liana infestation on
the demography and biogeochemical cycles of tropical forests; PI: Félicien Meunier; 2019-2022
Funding: Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO), junior postdoctoral fellowship
FWO jr postdoc grant - Marijn Bauters
Evaluating and understanding the role of biogeochemical cycling of phosphorus in regrowth forests in central Africa (RDC, Regrow Deforested Congo); PI: Marijn Bauters; 2019-2022
Funding: Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO), junior postdoctoral fellowship
DG-DEVCO/FWO-project: Congoflux
Continuous monitoring of atmosphere-ecosystem exchange of greenhouse gasses in the Congo Basin forest: Building a flux tower in the Yangambi Man and Biosphere Reserve;
Funding: DG-DEVCO, FWO-IRI
BRAIN-project: COBECORE
Congo basin eco-climatological data recovery and valorization
2017-2020 (extended)
Funding: Federal funding, BELSPO BRAIN
BOF-PhD grant - Louise Terryn
Winners and Losers: does water availability affect the Structural Economic Spectrum of tropical forests? 2019-2023
Funding: Regional and community funding: Special Research Fund (BOF)
BOF-PhD grant - Franklin Marin
Disentangling potential drivers of success in ecological restoration along an altitudinal gradient in the Andes, Ecuador; 2021-2025
Funding: Regional and community funding: Special Research Fund (BOF)
VLIR-UOS-project: COFOREC II
Consolidating a long-term forest monitoring network in a human modified landscape in Northern Ecuador; 2020-2021 (extended 2022)
Funding: Federal funding, VLIR-UOS
CSC - PhD grant - Liu Chang
Automatic Estimation of Forest Structural Parameters in Multiple Forest Conditions Using Terrestrial Laser Scanning; 2019-2023
Funding: State Scholarship Fund awarded by China Scholarship Council
STEREO-project: UTURN I & II
Understanding turning points in dryland ecosystem functioning; 2016-2020 (extended)
Funding: Federal funding, BELSPO STEREO III
EU-Interreg2-project: Nature Smart Cities
Research towards evidence-based business models for greener cities
Funding: European Union’s Interreg 2
CSC - PhD grant - Xi Peng
Structural Traits Relationships and the Structural Economics Spectrum of Woody Plant; 2021-2025
Funding: State Scholarship Fund awarded by China Scholarship Council
CSC - PhD grant - Quan Pan
Mapping plant functional traits in forest; 2021-2025.
Funding: State Scholarship Fund awarded by China Scholarship Council
CSC - Visiting scientist grant - Tao Chen
Research on the spatiotemporal patterns and driving mechanism of carbon and water fluxes in tropical and subtropical forest ecosystems of China; 2021-2022
Funding: State Scholarship Fund awarded by China Scholarship Council
CSC - PhD grant - Xingyan Cao
Impact of lianas on forest structure and function; 2020-2024
Funding: State Scholarship Fund awarded by China Scholarship Council
FWO - SB PhD grant - Barbara D'hont
Better Quantifying Ecosystem Services through Digital Twins of Urban Trees; 2021-2025
FWO PhD fellowship strategic basic research
BEAMS
Biocarbon Europe: Advancing Measurement Standards (BEAMS)
Funding: Climate Solutions Exchange, UK
ICOS Belgium research infrastructure
ICOS Belgium research infrastructure; 2021-2025
Funding: FWO – FINANCIERING VAN ONDERZOEKSINFRASTRUCTUUR
- Learn more on the ICOS-BE project website
TREE4FLUX
Monitoring trees in intensive, large-scale and long-term inventory plots for scaling eddy covariance carbon dioxide fluxes in Congo basin fluxes (TREE4FLUX)
Funding: ESFRI-FED
SPACETWIN
Digital twins for understanding forest disturbances and recovery from space.
Funding: ERC starting grant
- Learn more on the SPACETWIN website
Previous Research Projects
MSCA-project: LEAF-2-TBM
From Leaf to Terrestrial Biosphere Model: Integrating multi-scale observations of highly diverse tropical ecosystems for global scale simulations; PI: Marc Peaucelle; 2020-2022 (ended in Nov. 2021 when dr Peaucelle was offered a permanent position at INRAE, France)
Funding: European funding: framework programme, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action
MSCA-project: 3D-FOGROD
Understanding forest growth dynamics using novel 3D measurements and modelling approaches; PI: Kim Calders; 2019-2021
Funding: European funding: framework programme, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action
ERC-Starting Grant: TREECLIMBERS
Modelling lianas as key drivers of tropical forest responses to climate change
Funding: European funding: framework programme, ERC Starting Grant
STEREO-project: 3D Forest
Novel in-situ 3D forest structure and biomass estimates to validate air/spaceborne products
Funding: Federal funding, Belspo STEREO