Louise E.M. Vet

Louise E.M. Vet is director of the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO). She is also professor of Evolutionary Ecology at Wageningen University. Vet was awarded several international prizes for her research on plant-insect interactions. Vet is an elected member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW).

Professional background
Vet is a biologist with a broad interest in ecology and evolution, and devoted to stimulate a positive interaction between ecology and economy. She serves on a diversity of national and international boards and committees, including as Chair of the Netherlands Ecological Research Network (NERN); in the Supervisory Board BE-Basic Consortium; the Environment Steering Panel of the European Academies Science Advisory Council; and The Circle Economy. Vet was the driving force behind the new NIOO building, the most sustainable laboratory/office complex in the Netherlands. She is active in ‘science for policy’ and a frequently invited speaker.

Personal motto
“Destruction of biodiversity and ecosystems is a design problem. Let’s learn from nature and make use of 3.8 billion years of successful natural design to turn our linear economy into a circular one!”