About Christiaan van Baak

Chris van Baak works at Deltares as a geologist in the "Subsurface Systems and Technologies" department to enable both energy and groundwater transitions. To support decision-making in companies and at ministries, fit-for-purpose subsurface data and models are required.

"As a geologist at Deltares, I try to solve the geological 3D puzzle that has been preserved in the subsurface. By understanding the interactions of morphological processes that determined how sediments were preserved, sometimes up to millions of years ago, I turn this puzzle into actionable insights."

• For both the energy and groundwater transitions it is important to find additional space in the subsurface, but how can the potential for these activities that the subsurface offers safely be utilised?
• And when expanding subsurface activities into the largely unknown "intermediate depth subsurface," what data are required to minimise risks and ensure long-term successful operations?

Before his starting at Deltares, Chris worked as a PhD candidate and postdoctoral researcher at Utrecht University. He also worked as a research geologist at the geological non-profit research organisation CASP in Cambridge (United Kingdom). In these roles, he mainly focused on the Black Sea, the Caucasus, and the Caspian Sea regions. By integrating a wide range of geological data together with specialist colleagues, he (re)discovered the regional geological history of mountain formation, the dynamics of the sediment and water system, and the interaction between these processes. The numerous fieldworks he conducted in remote areas to study and sample the great geology in the region took him from desert sandstorms to freezing mountain rivers. Chris now applies this geological knowledge at Deltares to support and inform our partners.

In addition to his job at Deltares, Chris is currently chairman of the KNGMG Sedimentological Circle, where he organises (field) activities to promote and stimulate sedimentology in the Netherlands.