Endowed professor Judith van de Mortel: a bridge between fundamental science and applied agricultural innovation

Judith van de Mortel has recently been appointed endowed professor of 'Transformative Plant–Soil Interaction Systems for Sustainable Food Production' at Maastricht University. She studies the interaction between agricultural crops and micro-organisms in the soil. Through her work, she aims to make the soil more vital and more sustainable.

Judith brings her expertise in soil microbiology, plant resilience and sustainable farming systems to the Brightlands Future Farming Institute at Brightlands Campus Greenport Venlo. In addition to her professorship, she is a lecturer at HAS green academy in Venlo, where her chair, 'Levende bodem werkt!' ('The living soil works!'), comes seamlessly together with her academic chair. Her appointment marks a new step in the collaboration between the two knowledge institutions and in the expansion of Maastricht University's activities in Venlo.

An interdisciplinary character

The endowed chair has a strongly interdisciplinary and transformative character. Judith: "We connect fundamental knowledge from molecular biology, plant genetics and microbiology with ecology, systems biology and practice-orientated research. In doing so we look not only at the biological processes, but also at the economic and societal changes needed to actually apply new insights."

"It’s precisely the kind of collaboration between universities of applied sciences and research universities that adds value when it comes to quickly translating academic research results into practice-oriented experiments and innovations," she continues. "The chair serves as a link between leading soil research and applications within regenerative agriculture and regional sustainability initiatives. With this appointment, I have the opportunity to work on a joint research group that covers the entire knowledge and innovation chain."

Looking to the future

"My ambition is that in five years' time our research is internationally visible, that we train doctoral candidates and students within a joint research environment and develop concrete innovations together with the professional field. Ultimately, I want us not only to know more about the living soil, but, above all, to learn to make better use of that knowledge for sustainable food production and a healthy living environment," the newly appointed professor concludes.