Hugo de Boer is Associate Professor Global Ecohydrology and Sustainability at the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development. He studies the dynamic responses of plants and ecosystems to global change drivers and teaches at Utrecht University in the MSc programme Sustainable Development, the BSc programme Global Sustainability Science, and at University College Utrecht.
His research expertise covers several interdisciplinary topics related to integrating theory and observations across the fields of plant ecophysiology, palaeo-ecology and ecosystem dynamics. Hugo is specifically interested in research questions related to how morphological and functional plant traits associated with water transport, transpiration and photosynthesis adapt under changing growth conditions.
His teaching expertise includes topics related to system thinking for sustainable development, quantitative statistics, research design, plant ecophysiology, and ecosystem dynamics. As Fellow at University College Utrecht Hugo coordinates teaching in the Earth & Environment track.
Current research projects:
- LEMONTREE: Land Ecosystem Models based On New Theory, obseRvations and ExperimEnts
- CloudRoots: Understanding plant-cloud processes
- Complex Systems Fund project: Ecosystem resilience to drought and flooding
- Save the tiger! Save the Grasslands! Save the Water!
Research videos: