Simon Bush is Professor and Chair of the Environmental Policy Group at Wageningen University. His broad research interest extends to various dimensions of sustainabilty governance in the domains of food, energy and climate - linked in large part to the staff and PhD students at the Environmental Policy Group.

In addition, he has a core set of projects focused predominantly on the intersection of food and energy in the North Sea. This includes the NWO funded CircAqua project focused on the development of offshore low trophic aquaculture, the RVO funded BeWild project exploring the role of e-DNA in monitoring biodiversity around offshore wind energy parks and the NWA funded OR-ELSE project analysing the challenge of marine spatial planning for sand mining and coastal climate resilience. Additionally, his work on global aquaculture governance continues through the development of the Aquaculture Governance Indicators and Aquaculture Co-management Guidelines for the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation.              

His past research projects on aquatic food include the EURASTIP programme focused on innovation platforms for aquaculture in Asia and beyond-farm management of aquaculture in Southeast Asia (SUPERSEAS). He was also a lead author in the Blue Food Assessment led by Standford University and the University of Stockholm.

Simon serves on the Academic Board of Wageningen University and is a member of the Board of the WIMEK Graduate School. Outside the university Simon's ongoing outreach work includes membership of the multi-stakeholder group of Monterrey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch programmes and the the Standards Oversight Committee of the Global Aquaculture Alliance.

Selected current projects

CircAqua - focused on the development of offshore low trophic aquaculture in theDutch North Sea.

FAO-China-Netherlands SSC programme -  Workpackage on China’s and the EU’s support to aquaculture sustainability in Africa 

BeWild - exploring the role of e-DNA in monitoring biodiversity around offshore wind energy parks in the North Sea.

OR-ELSE project analysing the challenge of marine spatial planning for sand mining and coastal climate resiliencein the North Sea.

Aquaculture Governance Indicators - an assessment framework for global aquaculture governance in partnership with the Monterrey Bay Seafood Watch programme.

Selected completed projects 

BESTTuna - examained  the innovative new governance arrangements for sustainabile and equitable tuna managment in the Western Pacific Ocean.

IFITT - explored the potential for traceability to drive improved information for sustainable tuna in Indonesia.

SUPERSEAS - assessed the potential for beyond farm managment of aquaculture in Southeast Asia.

BSc Marine Sciences - New in 2023!

MSc Governance of Sustainability Transformations

ENP32806 Social Perspetives on the Environment

ESA10309 Environment and Society

YEI31306 Trends in Aquaculture