Meet Lissie de Groot
“My dream has always been to study rivers. Sometimes in my PhD I feel a bit like Sherlock trying to figure out details of a specific process and interpret data.”
Let’s meet Lissie de Groot, PhD student in the SAE group. Lissie is from the Netherlands and, after studying coastal and marine management, she graduated in Conservation Ecology at the University of Groningen. In the TropSEDs project, she aims to quantify the erosion of particulate organic carbon and sediments and study their sources within different biomes in the Kasai tributaries in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
What do you find interesting about your PhD?
“It is fascinating to study and connect different environmental processes to answer a big ‘umbrella’ question to which everyone of us is contributing within this large project. Additionally, I find it interesting to observe the whole process around a project, from giving it a shape to visualising the results.”
What are your memories from the field work in Congo?
“As a Congolese colleague used to say «C’est la réalité de la terrain». On a field trip you learn to adapt and to find a solution to unexpected events. We lived twice on a boat for a few weeks with a large international crew and we were able not only to access the rivers of interest but also to pass by many villages along the way. People were always very welcoming and curious about us, and we were doing our best to communicate even if I only have a basic level of French. When I think about Congo, I have the ochre colour in mind and a feeling of warmth.”
You attended your first international conference this year. How did you find it?
“Yes, I attended the European Geosciences Union conference in Vienna. It was nice to meet a lot of people and learn many new aspects about soil. It was fun and inspiring to present my research with a poster and discuss preliminary results and my experience in the field. I think this is a good opportunity for the PhD students to start discussing their research and exchange thoughts and ideas.”
Would you say that you have a special connection with water?
“Haha yes, I studied water ecosystems at university and worked on coastal and river systems. In my free time, I practise water sports like diving, windsurfing, and swimming. Being Dutch, water is quite important for me. When I am at or in the water I feel in my natural environment, a place where I fit in well.”
If you are curious to know more about Lissie’s research, visit the project website.
You can contact her via e-mail for more questions:
