Mark is co-founder and coordinator of the bachelor and master programme in Earth Sciences and Economics, in Dutch ‘Aarde en economie’. The programme bridges between the insight in natural processes that continuously change our natural environment – e.g. climate change, groundwater hydraulics, sea level rise, soil subsidence, earth quakes – and spatial economic needs – e.g. safe places to live, natural resources, energy, drinking water. This beta-gamma interdisciplinary program was founded in 2007 and nowadays has an inflow of about 80 students per year. It is rated by students as best in its type in The Netherlands and one of the best at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

Mark coordinates and teaches the introduction course ‘Aarde en economie’, the first year research training containing fieldwork in Zuid-Limburg (NL) ‘Veldwerk Aarde en economie’ and the third year research training ‘Spring School’ containing fieldwork in Salzburg (AT), in cooperation with the Z_GIS group at Universität Salzburg. Apart from that he is involved in many other subjects and coordinates master thesis en research projects.

He is involved in future VU-UvA cooperation preparations, involving new master programs in Environment related topics, better profiling and exchange possibilities for bachelor students. Mark is also involved in the Erasmus Mundus Central Asia exchange program gSMART and represents LGBT’s in the VU University diversity program advisory board.

Expertise
Mark’s specializations include general physical geography, landscape analysis, historical geography, landscape ecology, geomorphology, paleo-climatology, bridging between different (science) institutes or specialists.

2005: PhD Paleo-climatology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, department of Earth Sciences. Title: 'Last Glacial Climate Variability in Eastern and Central Europe as recorded in Loess Deposits', defended on 18 May 2009.

2001: Physical Geography, University of Amsterdam.

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