Present position

Stefan Engels
Universitair Docent (Assistant Professor)
Department of Paleoecology and Landscape Ecology,
Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics,
Universiteit van Amsterdam,
Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam,
The Netherlands

Academic record

• June 2011- May 2016: Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Amsterdam (The Netherlands). Project: Quantifying the impact of an episode with low solar activity on Europe's climate system
  
• June 2009- May 2010: Postdoctoral Researcher, University of New Brunswick (Canada). Project: The potential of fossil chironomid assemblages for quantitative water-depth reconstructions. With Les C. Cwynar (University of New Brunswick, CAN), Bryan N Shuman (University of Wyoming, USA)
• Oct 2007- May 2009: Postdoctoral Researcher, Stockholm University (Sweden). Project: Early Weichselian climate change at Sokli, northeast Finland. With Karin F Helmens (Stockholm University, SW)
• Oct 2003-Sept 2007: Employed PhD-student, VU University Amsterdam. Thesis: Exploring early- and mid-Weichselian climate variability by applying chironomids as a proxy

Research

Stefan Engels (1979) studied Physical Geography at Utrecht University. He graduated in 2003 after completing a MSc- thesis on the spatial variability of aeolian deposition in an uphill lake-catchment in West Greenland. Stefan also completed a research-internship at the Palynology and Palaeo-ecology department (Utrecht University) where he studied a Late Glacial record of pollen and diatoms retrieved from a Dutch pingo-remnant called Hijkermeer (results published in Heiri et al., 2007). He subsequently took up a position as an employed PhD-student at the VU University Amsterdam with Sjoerd JP Bohncke. At the VU University, Stefan studied fossil chironomid remains from a range of different geological records, all dated to early MIS 3 (at approximately 55 ka BP). After finishing his PhD-studies Stefan moved to Stockholm (Sweden) to study Early Weichselian (~100 ka BP) climate variability in northern Europe with KF Helmens. A postdoctoral research project at the University of New Brunswick (CAN) was funded by the Niels Stensen foundation, where Stefan studied the relationship between chironomids and lake depth in order to create a new palaeohydrological tool for quantitatively reconstructing water depths from fossil chironomid assemblages. In June 2011, Stefan Engels accepted a temporary Assistant Professor position at the University of Amsterdam, where he will focus on pollen- and macroremains encountered in peatlands and lake records (together with Bas van Geel), and where he will contribute to the BSc course in Palaeoecology. Stefan was recently awarded a VENI-grant to study the influence of variations in solar activity on the NW European climate (3-yr research project).

Ongoing papers

Engels S, Self AE, Luoto TP, Brooks SJ, Helmens KF (submitted) The influence of continentality on chironomid-based temperature reconstructions on long timescales: implications for calibration set selection. Journal of Paleolimnology

In press

van Geel B, Engels S, Martin-Puertas C, Brauer A (2013) Ascospores of the parasitic fungus Kretzschmaria deusta as rainstorm indicators during a late Holocene beech forest phase around lake Meerfelder Maar, Germany. Journal of Paleolimnology DOI 10.1007/s10933-013-9701-2

de Boer EJ, Hooghiemstra H, Florens FBV, Baider C, Engels S, Dakos V, Blaauw M, Bennett KD (in press) Rapid succession of plant associations on the small ocean island of Mauritius at the onset of the Holocene. Quaternary Science Reviews

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