In my current work with the Water Resources Management Chairgroup I teach courses on water governance, institutional reform in the water sector, and irrigation and development. My academic interest is the combination of thorough technical analysis with institutional, legal, social and economic concepts. I investigate - and published articles on - water stewardship certification and the debate on water use efficiencies. I participate in various projects that study the organization of water governance at river basin level: Riverhood, River basin councils in Peru (Blue Deal), and River Commons.
During some seven years (2002-2009) of working in Bolivia and Peru as water governance advisor with Dutch, Britsh and German development cooperation organisations, I gained important experience with advising local governments and farmers’ organizations to strengthen their organizational and water management capacities. I was active in constructing regional networks and platforms for water management and formulate regional water policies.
My PhD research at Wageningen University concerned irrigation water management of two large scale irrigation systems in the salinity prone arid north coast of Peru. Special attention was paid to water delivery performance, water productivity, legal norms and institutional reform.