SENSE highlights

Courses highlight:
Do not missthe upcoming courses and registration deadlines!

Open Geohub / EO council summer school | 1 - 6 Sep 2025
Second round of applications valid until the 1st of July. Visit here.

Grounding Carbon Farming | 13 - 19 Sep 2025
Last spots available. For more information & registration visit here.

Data Science, Artificial Intelligence and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for Environmental Sciences | 29 Sep - 3 Oct 2025
Early bird deadline: 1 Aug 2025. For more information & registration visit here.

A1 SENSE Introductory Course: building a personal vision for your PhD | 28 - 30 October 2025, De Bosrand, Ede
Registration are now open. For more information & registration visit here.

For more information see here.

OpenGeoHub Summer School is an annual event that has been running at various locations in Europe, North America, and Australia since 2010, inviting researchers and specialists in developing open-source software and open data to help others improve analysis and modeling frameworks. The 2025 event is organized in collaboration with EO Council and SURF. The Summer School will consist of live presentations and demos by leading EO modelers and OSGeo developers, workshops, discussion panels, machine learning competition, and several social events.

For more information see here.

We are very excited to be running the second edition of Grounding Carbon Farming! There are only a few last spots available for our one of a kind on-farm immersive and transdisciplinary course on the role of agricultural soils in sustainability and climate change, so grab your change and register now! The course is composed of a series of lectures, discussions, stakeholder debates, serious games, group reflections working toward a final assignment (a presentation pitching a scientifically and socially grounded and relevant farm sustainability policy), farm visits, farmers interviews and field measurements. We also taste some of the wonderful food and drinks produced locally.

For more information see here.

This is an advanced PhD course which aims to help the participant explore and understand the ease and benefit of combining the complex (spatial) data science and AI methods and techniques with the powerful capabilities of ArcGIS platform (Esri). This course explores state-of-the-art principles, methods, and techniques related to data science and artificial intelligence applications in relation to the Environmental Sciences’ major topics.

For more information see here. 

Registration are now open! The deadline for the registration for the online environment is 28 August 2025

The overall aim of the A1 course is to create a vision for your own development, accompanied by a plan. This, so you can pro-actively discuss, and reflect on, the direction you want to take with your research, together with your supervision team. We will use an extended TSP form as the output, so you start discussions with your supervisors with the form they are used to. The 2-2.5 in-person days are meant to sharpen your plans, by actively engaging with the topics a starting PhD candidate needs to think about. It will also provide an opportunity to get to know other PhD students in the SENSE network. You can learn about each other’s research activities, the problems that are being tackled and get the opportunity to build new links within your network.

For more information see here. 

Recent advances in deep neural networks have led to increased interest from researchers about both the cutting edge “deep learning” models and classical “machine learning” techniques, which have historically been very underused in scientific research. In this course, we will start with the basics of machine learning and, using scientific examples throughout, use code, and visualizations to explore all the components that go into making practical use of machine learning (ML) techniques for research.

For more information see here. 

Programming can serve multiple purposes. Purposes like developing applications and working with data are also very useful for research. For dealing with these issues, Python offers many libraries. Getting the skills of working with some of these libraries will enable future learning.
This can be for more advanced programming applications, but also for self-learning to apply different libraries.

For more information see here. 

Python is a dynamic, readable language that is a popular platform fit for executing different kinds of numerical problems, from simple one-off scripts to large, complex software projects. This workshop is aimed at people who already have a basic knowledge of Python and are interested in using the language to explore and visualize large datasets and write more complex programs using object-oriented programming techniques.

For more information see here. 

The 7th International Symposium on Knowledge and Capacity for the Water Sector will bring together sector organizations, knowledge institutes and policy makers to explore the significant shifts that have taken place in the water sector over the past decades. Participants will analyze how these changes impact knowledge and capacity strengthening, especially in relation to the new generation water and sanitation professionals, and investigate how knowledge and capacity strengthening can further contribute to water-related improvements. The Symposium will also assess how these developments alter the landscape of knowledge and capacity strengthening in the water sector – and what that means to the way capacity strengthening is organized and implemented. 

For more information, see here.

IHE Delft will host the 1st International Conference on Photogranules from 17 to 19 September 2025. This International Water Association (IWA) supported conference will bring together researchers in microbial ecology and physiology, environmental biotechnology and engineering who work in the emerging field of phototrophic aggregation. Registrations open 1 April 2025. 

For more information, see here.

How have societies coped with historical droughts, and what lessons can they offer for securing water in the face of climate extremes today? This half-day symposium explores both historical and future droughts, the risks of cascading drought-to-flood events, and the social, political, and technological responses shaping (drinking) water security today. It includes themes such as: Environmental justice and water access inequalities, Drought coping measures – individual to institutional, and Different waters for different purposes. This event is organised by the VU projects Coping with Drought and PerfectSTORM, in collaboration with the Amsterdam Sustainability Institute (ASI) and the Drought in the Anthropocene network (DitA).

For more information, see here.

The RCCC 2025 will bring together global experts, policymakers, researchers, and industry leaders to share knowledge and innovative solutions for a more sustainable future. Serving as a platform for meaningful dialogue and collaboration, the conference aims to drive climate resilience and sustainable solutions, especially in regions most affected by climate change. This year’s theme, “The Intersection of Climate Science, Adaptation, and Climate Financing: Focus on the Global South and Inclusivity,” aims to foster meaningful discussions and collaborations addressing critical climate challenges.

For more information, see here.

The International Conference on Water, Peace, and Security will bring together governments, international organizations, researchers, civil society, and key stakeholders to explore the critical role of water as a catalyst for peace and cooperation.
Participants will examine the challenges posed by water insecurity, including conflicts triggered by water scarcity, pollution, and mismanagement. The conference will also spotlight innovative strategies, tools, and policies that can transform these challenges into pathways for sustainable peace and development.

For more information, see here.

Half the world’s population depends on groundwater for its water supply. But nearly a third of the world’s largest aquifers is under threat because the water is used faster than it is replenished. A new research project led by Margreet Zwarteveen, IHE Delft Professor of Water Governance, and financed by a European Research Council (ERC) grant, will help to re-think, improve and support the governance of groundwater.

Read more here.

A new book takes a close look at the interplay between humans and water in Latin America, illustrating the complexities of water’s role in society with a blend of historical context, technical knowledge and socio-cultural insights.

Read more here.

Clara Lines Diaz from Spain has successfully defended her PhD thesis on the usefulness of information for drought management decisions. Dr Lines Diaz was awarded with a doctoral degree on 7 April at Delft Technical University. Her promotor is Professor Graham Jewitt and her co-promotor Associate Professor Micha Werner. In this article, she reflects on her PhD work, which looked at how stakeholders such as irrigation associations and farmers use information about water availability to inform their decisions.

Read more here.

The inaugural Citizen Science for Water Conference marked a new chapter in the evolution of citizen science for water. With 150 participants from 35 countries—half of them from Africa, Asia and Latin America — the conference was an exchange of views among citizen science practitioners, ranging from community activists and researchers to policy communities. Over three days, delegates explored how the role of citizen science in empowering people, informing policy and advancing equitable water governance can be strengthened.

Read more here.

Capacity development is all about bridging the gap in knowledge between generations and continents. In an episode of the Global WEF Nexus Community Podcast, IHE Delft Vice Rector Graham Jewitt and Jeltsje Kemerink - Seyoum IHE Delft Associate Professor of Water Governance & Justice call on the young generation to share their ideas and perspectives at the 7th International Symposium on Knowledge and Capacity for Water Sector: empowering a new generation.

Read more here.

Water knows no borders — nor does the growing pressure on the world’s shared freshwater resources. At a time when multilateral cooperation is under strain and environmental challenges multiply, Susanne Schmeier, an internationally recognized expert in water diplomacy, has been appointed professor at IHE Delft and Utrecht University.

Read more here.

An immersive art installation titled 'The Architecture of Virtual Water' by Jampel Dell’Angelo and Miralles Tagliabue (EMBT Architects) "makes visible the invisible" and raises awareness on the value and crisis of global water resources at the 19th Venice Biennale of Architecture.  The work combines architectural design, environmental awareness, musical composition and interactive technology. The Architecture of Virtual Water pavilion consists of a wooden skeleton, shaping the word AQUA (Latin for Water), paper walls made of dismissed filter paper, worked by hand to achieve the shaped walls, and an interactive installation on the inside composed by Music and Digital Visuals that complete a narrative based on years of scientific research. It will be exhibited at Corderie in Arsenale, Venice from 10 May to 23 November 2025, before moving to Barcelona in December.

Read more here.

• Eric Scott Mortensen
  Preparing for future flood risk now: An expanded understanding of forward-looking disaster risk reduction in the face of increasing coastal and riverine flood risk
  24 September 2025, VU Amsterdam
• Thijs Endendijk
  Homes under Water: From Physical to Financial Flood Risk for Real Estate
  29 October 2025, VU Amsterdam