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My name is Marlein Geraeds, and I’m one of the PhD students involved in the SALTISolutions project. My background is within Hydraulic Engineering and Civil Engineering, which I studied at Delft University of Technology. In my Master’s I specialised in Environmental Fluid Mechanics, with a specific focus on estuarine dynamics, numerical modelling, and stratified flows.

Besides my work, I spend most of my free time on a mix of sports, sewing, and painting. I also love hiking, especially since most of the phenomena I describe in my work can also be observed during those walks.

I first heard of the SALTISolutions programme when I was working on my Master’s thesis, which I did under the supervision of prof. dr. Pietrzak on the hydrodynamics in the Rotterdam Waterway within the context of an eco-innovative sediment reuse project at the Port of Rotterdam. During my thesis, I researched the hydrodynamics in the Rotterdam Waterway through a mix of data analysis and numerical modelling, and assessed whether all hydrodynamic processes relevant for sediment and salt transport could be reproduced by an operational model. The set-up of the SALTISolutions programme spoke to me, as it is unique in its size and collaboration with stakeholders from the field. The work package that I am working on now specifically stood out to me because it resembled a part of my Master’s thesis project, which enables me to build on my Master’s thesis work.

I am part of the Hydraulic Engineering section and the Physical Oceanography research group within Delft University of Technology and my supervisors are prof. dr. Julie Pietrzak, prof. dr. ir. Martin Verlaan, and dr. Caroline Katsman. The research that I’m doing is part of project 3, on “Grey-green infrastructure solutions”, and focuses on gaining insight into the role of individual physical mechanisms and forcing on salt intrusion in the Rhine-Meuse Delta. To investigate this role, I am making use of a new 3D hydrostatic D-FLOW model developed by Deltares. In developing this model further, I hope to increase the accuracy of salinity predictions and contribute to the improvement of current modelling practices.

So far, it’s been great meeting all of my fellow SALTISolutions colleagues and the stakeholders involved in my project. I also really enjoy that I’m working on things that are relevant for society as a whole. I’m looking forward to my first publications and am very curious to see what I will find!

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