dr. M (Monique) Weemstra
Universitair docentfollow_us_label
I am forest ecologist fascinated by the mysterious belowground and how it connects with the aboveground parts of trees. My work focuses on roots, how they adjust to the soil they grow in, closely collaborate with fungal friends while keeping enemies at bay, and how they are shaped to supply the tree with water and essential nutrients from the soil.
Initially, I planned to become an anthropologist. I was and am curious about people, language, history, and culture. For my MA thesis at the Radboud University Nijmegen, I spent time in northern Australia where I conducted a research project on remote indigenous economies. I observed how personal, social, cultural, and economic life in these communities strongly revolves around their natural environment, and this sparked my interests in ecology.
After completing my Ph.D. at Wageningen University with the Forest Ecology and Management (FEM) group on tree roots, I continued my 'underground research' as a postdoctoral researcher at various universities and research institutes in the United States and France. This gave me the opportunity to collaborate with diverse groups of awesome colleagues in various labs and countries (and nourish my anthropological interests…) to study various plant species in agricultural and natural systems in alpine, (sub)tropical and temperate biomes.
In September 2023, I returned to FEM as an Assistant Professor, where I study the functioning and performance of trees and forests from a whole-plant perspective that integrates the above- and belowground parts of plants.