Meet PLOS Climate Academic Editor Jasper Verschuur

We are delighted to introduce Jasper Verschuur (TU Delft) as an Academic Editor in PLOS Climate‘s new Climate Resilience, Extremes and Tipping Points section.

Could you tell us about your research background and your current work?

My background is a bit all over the place. I am a civil engineer by training, with an MSc in Hydraulic Engineering, but I also hold an MSc in Water Science, Policy and Management. During my PhD, I shifted more toward environmental sciences, environmental economics, and spatial sciences. Quite naturally, I now try to integrate these various disciplines and methods into my current research portfolio.

In my group at TU Delft, we study climate-related risks to infrastructure and other systems, as well as the social and economic implications of disruptions. This ranges from household-level impacts of infrastructure disruptions to the transmission of shocks to food production and key maritime routes across international borders. We work across both the Global North and South, ultimately aiming to identify more context-specific and equitable adaptation solutions to the growing threat of climate change.

Why did you decide to join PLOS Climate’s editorial board?

Since the launch of the journal, I have been very impressed by the approach PLOS Climate has taken. The journal is interdisciplinary by nature and publishes articles that go beyond research and review articles, such as Essays and Opinion pieces. Aside from cutting-edge research, it provides researchers with an opportunity to critically reflect on and engage with ongoing debates in the climate sphere. Moreover, the journal has been proactively engaging with early-career researchers, which I applaud.

What excites you about the new Climate Resilience, Extremes and Tipping Points section of the journal?

Research on climate resilience and extremes is constantly evolving in new directions, especially as we try to understand what resilience means for different actors. In recent years, research on climate tipping points has also rapidly emerged as an important area of focus. I am excited to see where the scientific community takes these important topics, and, of course, what role I can play as an Academic Editor in elevating this research.

What kinds of submissions would you particularly like to see?

When it comes to research on climate resilience, I am particularly interested in seeing more interdisciplinary approaches that integrate both the social and physical sciences. Moreover, in my view, what constitutes climate resilience can differ from one person to another. As such, highlighting divergent perspectives on this issue, and what these perspectives mean for our climate resilience strategies, is an important future direction.

Similarly, research on climate tipping points has mainly focused on tipping points within the climate system itself. However, there are also tipping points in societal systems (e.g. agricultural systems, urban areas), which are closely linked to adaptation limits. I would welcome submissions that aim to improve our understanding of these societal climate tipping points.

Ready to submit your work to PLOS Climate? Follow our step-by-step guide to the submission process.