Aquatic Ecology and Ecotoxicology
Education
Education mission statement
We aim at educating highly qualified B.Sc.'s, M.Sc.'s and Ph.D.'s. Within the B.Sc. programme, basic principles of aquatic ecology are taught, knowledge and techniques are brought into practice in field campaigns and students are challenged to discuss the state of the art with invited experts.
M.Sc. students performing their research training at our department work within the framework of current PhD and postdoc projects. Herewith motivated and qualified supervision is guaranteed helping students to operate on a M.Sc. level. Ph.D. candidates are intensively trained to design their experiments independently, interpret their results in a broader scientific context and publish in high ranked international journals. To explore new interdisciplinary research fields, several Ph.D. projects are shared with other institutes.
In addition to the regular academic curricula, the Department offers short courses and trainings to non-students who are working in the water sector. This gives participants from outside the university (from e.g. industry, consultants, government) the opportunity to update their knowledge and discuss the latest research developments and specific issues in aquatic ecology and ecotoxicology with experienced UvA faculty members and guest speakers.
Master's in Limnology and Oceanography
Water covers 70% of the Earth’s surface and sets our planet apart from all other planets known to mankind. These vast amounts of water play an important role in the global climate and are a source of food, minerals, energy, and recreation. Aquatic ecosystems are teeming with organisms, ranging from the tiny phytoplankton and zooplankton to corals, fish and whales. Unfortunately, aquatic ecosystems are also the dumping places for many of society’s wastes and are profoundly affected by global change. To better understand and protect the world’s aquatic resources, the Universiteit van Amsterdam and the University of Wageningen offer a new MSc programme in Limnology and Oceanography, devoted to the biology, chemistry and physics of aquatic ecosystems. This multidisciplinary program is an advanced study focusing on freshwater ecosystems (limnology) as well as on marine ecosystems (oceanography).
opportunities for practical training
The Department of Aquatic Ecology & Ecotoxicology studies the functioning of benthic communities in lakes and rivers under pristine and polluted conditions. Seasonal dynamics of invertebrates and communities of micro-organisms are influenced by natural factors, like oxygen limitation and predation pressure, as well as by habitat deterioration and environmental contamination. Combining field- and laboratory experiments enlarges our insight in the interaction between natural and anthropogenic stressors. This provides the possibility to take the relevant measures for environmental management of lakes and rivers.
We offer a wide variety of subjects for practical training at our department, at related institutes and abroad. To get an impression of the possibilities for a M.Sc. training see M.Sc. research projects in our research section of this website.
To obtain information about the actual possibilities refer to: dr. M.H.S. Kraak