Mei Nelissen MSc

PhD Candidate
Marine palynology & palaeoceanography

"Buried in the soil beneath our feet lie the traces of life from the Earth's warmer and colder periods. These puzzle pieces from the geological past can help us to better predict the future of our planet"

Mei Nelissen is a PhD candidate (started in March 2022) at the Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) and Utrecht University. Her research focuses on the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, a period 56 million years ago that is considered the best analogue for climate change today. Using the microfossils, she reconstructs changes in sea conditions and vegetation during a period when the Earth warmed by 5 degrees Celsius in just a few thousand years.

In addition to her research on this period, she also works on other time periods and at the end of 2023 she took part in a 9-week research expedition to Baffin Bay (the northernmost stretch of ocean between Canada and Northern Greenland). During this expedition, drilled sediments from the ocean floor will teach us more about the sensitivity of the ice sheets in North-West Greenland to higher temperatures and atmospheric CO2.

In addition to scientific research, Mei also has a passion for sharing scientific research with the largest possible audience in an accessible way. She shared her experiences at  Vroege Vogels NRC and in other media. She also participated in the Hoe?Zo! Show, a show in which PhD students answered pressing questions from children from group 7, live in a theater.

Links to (in Dutch):