Jan van Tatenhove appointed at DCC

Jan van Tatenhove from Wageningen University & Research was appointed as a personal professor on October 1, 2023, and has since been working three days a week for the Delta Climate Center (DCC) in Vlissingen.

The other two days, he works for the Social Sciences Group of the WUR. He conducts research and teaches in the field of marine and delta governance. "Developing and connecting knowledge is crucial for realizing a safe, sustainable, and resilient Zeeland delta."

Develop and connect

As a personal professor, he will contribute from the social sciences to establishing the research and education agenda of the Delta Climate Center. "We develop and connect knowledge about the Zeeland delta so that we can create sustainable, climate-resilient, and prosperous deltas," explains Van Tatenhove. "The DCC brings together a lot of expertise regarding deltas, from various disciplines. Think of knowledge about sea food, offshore wind energy, innovative coastal defense, circularity, and climate-resilient area development. My research, from a delta governance perspective, will focus on understanding, analyzing, and contributing to sustainable transitions in the Zeeland delta."

Complex and dynamic systems

According to Van Tatenhove, delta governance refers to how policy for the delta is formulated and implemented as a result of interactions and negotiations between governments, businesses, and interest groups. "Deltas are complex and dynamic systems, where social, governmental, economic, ecological, and technological processes and structures are interconnected and influence each other. My research will focus on those factors, including the relationship between stakeholders and government regulations, which either enable or hinder the transitions to sustainable and climate-resilient deltas."