About Marcel van Gent

Prof. dr. Marcel R.A. van Gent is an expert with more than 30 years of experience in the field of coastal engineering, more in particular in coastal and harbor structures and wave dynamics. His experience is based on research, consultancy and educational activities. Marcel van Gent published more than 150 international scientific papers on coastal and harbour structures, wave modelling and dune erosion. He obtained his PhD degree in 1995 at the Delft University of Technology on wave interaction with permeable coastal structures. He joined Deltares in 1995 where became head of the Department Coastal Structures and Waves at Deltares about 25 years ago. He combines his position as senior specialist at Deltares with a full professorship at the Delft University of Technology, member of the Science board of Deltares, and Editor-in-Chief of the most important scientific journal in the field of Coastal Engineering: COASTAL ENGINEERING (Elsevier). Marcel van Gent contributed to many scientific publications on breakwaters, dikes, laboratory testing, numerical modelling, artificial intelligence techniques, and climate adaptation of coastal structures.

Since 1991 Marcel van Gent participates in various research projects, including projects for the European Union, for the Dutch Government, and in co-operation with Universities, Consultancy firms, and Contractors. He was leading the present version of the guidelines on physical processes and design tools in the well-known Rock Manual: The use of Rock in Hydraulic Engineering. Marcel van Gent was leading the physical model activities of Deltares for the extension of the Port of Rotterdam. Scientific publications were presented at international conferences and in international scientific journals. In 2024 Marcel van Gent also co-chaired the Coastlab 2024 conference in Delft. Marcel van Gent delivered keynote addresses at several international conferences (e.g. in Italy, Canada, Bulgaria, Croatia, Turkey, and India).