Team

The Belgian Biodiversity Platform is a team of members based in federal and regional research institutes:

 


Management team

 

Dr Aline VAN DER WERF
Manager
Office in BELSPO
aline.vanderwerf(a)belspo.be
02.238.36.71

Molecular biologist. Manager of the Belgian Biodiversity Platform and Programme Manager at the Belgian Science Policy Office (BELSPO), Aline is responsible for launching, implementing and following-up biodiversity, climate and ecosystem related research initiatives.

 
 

Divija JATAVALLABHULA (DJ)
Platform Coordinator
Office in RBINS
d.jata(a)biodiversity.be
02.627.44.94

DJ is responsible for the coordination of the Belgian Biodiversity Platform. She is the primary contact for the IUCN Belgian National Focal Point as well as on the IUCN Interregional Committee for North Central Asia (ICENCA) and part of the IPBES Europe North Central Asia (ECA) network. Other duties include horizon scanning for opportunities for the Platform for science policy biodiversity needs. Her main expertise is focusing on nature conservation, science-based policy support, science communication and outreach. She has a particular interest in developing science policy content in the field of biodiversity and climate change

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Communication team

 

Leendert PLAETINCK
Communication Officer
Office in RBINS
l.plaetinck(a)biodiversity.be

02.238.34.95

Lennie is a biologist with digital and communication skills. He holds a MA in Human Ecology, a BA in Geography and continues learning in the field of multimedia. He is passionate for nature conservation, climate change and of course Biodiversity, which he loves to share with you. Lennie is our content creator and oversees the internal and external communication of the Platform.

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Phong HOANG
Communication Officer BIodiversa+
Office in BELSPO
p.hoang(a)biodiversity.be

02.238.34.95

Phong works as a science communicator for Biodiversa+, the European Biodiversity Partnership. As such, he likes to make things short and simple. He holds a specific interest in trees, birds, marine life, and various forms of visual storytelling.
 

Coralie VERHAEGEN
Communication Officer Biodiversa+
Office in RBINS
c.verhaegen(a)biodiversity.be

02.238.34.95

Coralie is a science communicator with a background in marine sciences. She is the communication Officer of Biodiversa+, hosted by Belspo/the Belgian Biodiversity Platform. Coralie manages the online presence of Biodiversa+ and oversees the production of written materials. She is interested in translating complex concepts to diverse audiences, biodiversity conservation and climate change adaptation and mitigation.

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Open Data Experts

 

 
 

Dimitri BROSENS
GBIF Node Manager Belgium           
Office in INBO
d.brosens(a)biodiversity.be   04.97.35.47.96
Orcid: 0000-0002-0846-9116

Dimitri is a biologist interested in biodiversity informatics and is the GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility) node manager for Belgium, he animates the network and is actively involved in data mobilisation and publication in Belgium. Dimitri has a particular interest in data standardisation, Darwin Core, invasive species, palaeontology, terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity. He advocates Open Science in the Research cycle and looks for practical usage of open data. He loves to chat with scientists and helps them to publish their data. His ultimate goal is to get Belgium on the global map of biodiversity. Dimitri has is office in the Research Institute for Nature and Forest.

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Stijn COOLEMAN
Biodiversity Data Officer
Office in RBINS
s.cooleman(a)biodiversity.be
02.627.43.35
Orcid: 0000-0003-3029-0451

Stijn is a biologist with interdisciplinary skills in data management. He is involved in open data activities at the platform. By focusing on biodiversity informatic standards and data mapping, he supports to mobilise natural history knowledge from collections to web portals of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and European Infrastructures. He has a particular interest in avian ecology, taxonomy, species distribution and ecosystem services.

 

Maxime COUPREMANNE
Data Liaison Officer
Office in DEMNA
m.coupremanne(a)biodiversity.be
04.79.86.50.82
Orcid: 0000-0002-9052-9500

Maxime is a biologist involved in the mobilization of biodiversity data on the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) portal. Based at the Départment d'Etude du Milieu Naturel et Agricole (SPW-DEMNA), he advocates the use of Open Data in Wallonia and support anyhow is willing to join the open side of the science. His  particular interests are biodiversity informatics, data management, marine life, invasive species, species distribution models and Open Science.

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Science Policy Team

 

 
 

Dr Sonia VANDERHOEVEN
Science Officer
Office in DEMNA
s.vanderhoeven(a)biodiversity.be
081.620.438

Sonia is plant biologist specialised in biological invasions. She has been working in the fields of evolutionary ecology, societal perception of environmental issues and the development of decision support tools. Sonia is particularly interested in evidence-based decision making processes and biodiversity knowledge creation. She applies these principles to the case of biological invasions, facilitating the science, policy and practice interface at international, European, Belgian and regional scales. 

 

Lise GOUDESEUNE
Science Policy Officer
Office in RBINS
l.goudeseune(a)biodiversity.be
02.238.34.95

Lise has a MA in Archaeology & Art History and a MS in Environmental Sciences and has been working for the BBPF since 2016. Most of her time is dedicated to Biodiversa+ and the IPBES NFP. She has a particular interest in topics related to human-nature interactions, biodiversity and nature conservation, environmental conflicts, science-policy interface, but also scientific communication and data management.

 

Lison COWEZ
Science Policy Officer
Office in RBINS
l.cowez@biodiversity.be

02.238.34.95

Lison has a MA in Environmental Science and Management. In the in continuity of her master thesis on the Characterization of biodiversity research in Belgium and its relevance to international issues, she has been hired to work on the science-policy interface at the Walloon regional level. She has a particular interest in nature conservation, biodiversity and ornithology.

 

Anna HECK
Science-Policy Officer
Office in INBO
a.heck(a)biodiversity.be
0474.39.19.05

Anna has a MS in Environmental Science and Management and a MA in Comparative Literature. At the Belgian Biodiversity Platform, she works mainly on the topic of Ecosystems and Society and monitors the EU Biodiversity Policy landscape. She is particularly interested in the science-policy interface, nature and society interactions, nature’s values and ecosystem services and science communication.  

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Dominique VANDERKERCHOVE
One Health Expert
Office in Sciensano
d.vandekerchove(a)biodiversity.be

Dominique Vandekerchove is a veterinary surgeon (PhD, 2004) and epidemiologist. She joined the Belgian Biodiversity Platform and the Belgian One Health network in 2023. She’s also involved in the Preventing Zoonotic Disease Emergence network (PREZODE), and is based at Sciensano as Science Officer for One Health. Her expertise includes science-based policy support and European and global networking.

 


IT Experts

 

 
 

Ir André HEUGHEBAERT
IT Coordinator & GBIF HoD
Office in BELSPO
a.heughebaert(a)biodiversity.be
02.238.37.96
Orcid: 0000-0002-7839-5300

Senior Software engineer and expert in Biodiversity Informatics, André manages the Platform's IT team. He coordinates data management, websites and web based services. André is our representative to Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) Governing Board taking part in the global-level decision making. He has a particular interest in Biodiversity Data Exchange Standards, Data Visualisation, Cleaning and Publication Tools.

 

Julien CIGAR
System Administrator
Office in BELSPO
j.cigar(a)biodiversity.be
02.238.37.95

IT specialist. Julien is the Belgian Biodiversity Platform system administrator. He has particular interest in databases, Python and the FreeBSD operating system.  

 
 

François MALHERBE
Developer
Office in BELSPO
f.malherbe(a)biodiversity.be
02.238.36.65

François is part of the platform's IT team. He has helped update our data portal (https://data.biodiversity.be) and is working on the database export of the Belgian Gracillariidae database to enrich the Catalogue of Life collection. He has particular interest in the open source, inclusive social projects and zero waste. obj 5681
 

Sébastien RONVEAUX
IT expert
Office in BELSPO
s.ronveaux(a)biodiversity.be
02.238.37.96

Sébastien is a computer scientist specialised in computer imaging and computer vision. Hired within the context of the RiparIAS project, he's currently developing the decision support tool which is a key deliverable of this project. He has particular interests in programming languages and paradigms, imaging and optimisation. obj 5754