Dr. Sebastiaan Van de Velde

Research summary:

Focussing on the biogeochemical cycles of carbon, iron and sulfur, I study the past and present ocean, using a research approach that combines field work and laboratory incubations with numerical modeling at the local, regional and global scales. Specific topics are the importance of burrowing fauna for cycling of carbon, iron and sulfur in the Earth System, spatial patterns of redox conditions and nutrient availability in low-oxygen oceans, and the impact of anthropogenic sediment disturbances on the coastal carbon cycle. Through this work I aim to improve our understanding of the Earth’s evolution and to provide new insights into the links between life and its geochemical environment.

Short CV:

• FedtWIN Researcher: Université Libre de Bruxelles/Royal Belgian Institute for Natural Sciences, Belgium. 2020 – present.
• Postdoctoral fellow: NASA Astrobiology, University of California, Riverside, USA. 2019-2020.
• Postdoctoral fellow: Belgian-American Education Foundation (BAEF), University of California, Riverside, USA. 2018-2019.
• PhD fellow: Research Foundation Flanders (FWO), Universiteit Antwerpen/Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium. 2013-2018.
• MSc: Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium. 2011-2013.
• BSc: Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium. 2008-2011.