Profile
I am a soil ecologist working with soil scientists. This puts me in a bridging position between disciplines in which I want to fill the knowledge gap on the contribution of soil biota in stabilizing organic matter in soil. This is of high importance for global carbon storage to mitigate climate change effects but also for a healthy cycling of nutrients. Creative and not linear thinking cross-disciplinary will eventually lead to new discoveries that contribute to solve future problems on earth. I am an enthusiastic teacher in the interdisciplinary bachelor Future Planet Studies and in the master Earth Sciences. I stimulate students to think outside the box and come up with innovative solutions for major future problems on earth. Next to my high impact papers and my papers in top-ecology journals, I have a very good track-record in presenting at international conferences. I also participate actively in the scientific community by serving as associate editor at Functional Ecology, being an active reviewer at a broad scope of journals, and serving on external PhD-exam committees. I have put effort in translating my scientific message into short articles and news items for the general public to highlight the relevance of my research for nature restoration of degraded lands. I hope this engagement leads to applicable innovations that actually help to restore degraded soils, soils that we so desperately need to feed the 9 billion people on Earth.
November 2019 — Present
Assistant professor in soil carbon cycling at the University of Amsterdam (UvA), Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), Department of Ecosystem and Landscape Dynamics (ELD) / Guest-researcher Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW)
November 2015 — November 2019
Post-doctoral research from VENI-NWO at the University of Amsterdam (UvA), Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), Ecosystem and Landscape Dynamics (ELD) research group / Guest-researcher Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW). Topic: Finding mechanisms that drive secondary succession in plant and soil communities. Advisor: Prof. dr. P.C. de Ruiter.
October 2011 — November 2015
Post-doctoral research at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), department of Terrestrial Ecology within European project EcoFINDERS. Topic: Linking soil community structure and nutrient cycling in a chronosequence of abandoned agricultural fields. Advisor: Prof. Dr. Ir. W.H. van der Putten.
September 2005 — September 2011
PhD research at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), department of Terrestrial Ecology. Topic: Climate induced range-expanding plants: above- and belowground interactions. Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ir. W.H. van der Putten.
June 2005 — August 2005
Researcher “Invasion biology” at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, department of Animal Ecology. Supervisor: Dr. M.P. Berg.
September 2005 — September 2011
Title of thesis: Climate induced range-expanding plants: above- and belowground interactions. Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ir. W.H. van der Putten. Research performed at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW).
September 1999 — May 2005
2004- 2005. MSc research internship at the University of Helsinki, Metapopulation Research Group. Supervisors: Dr. S. Gripenberg, Dr. T. Roslin and Prof. Dr. I. Hanski.
2003- 2004. MSc research internship at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, department Theoretical Biology. Supervisors: Dr. L.D.J. Kuijper, Dr. M.P. Berg, Dr. B.W. Kooi and Prof. Dr. S.A.L.M. Kooijman.
2002- BSc research internship at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, department of Animal Ecology. Supervisors: Dr. M.I. Zorn, Dr. M. Vijver, Dr. Ir. C.A.M. van Gestel and Prof. Dr. N.M. van Straalen.
2020- Moreno Mateos, D., Alberdi, A., Morriën, E., van der Putten, W.H., Uña, A., Montoya, R. The long-term restoration of ecosystem complexity. Nature Ecology and Evolution https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559020-1154-1
2017- Morriën, E. , Hannula, S.E., Snoek, L.B, Helmsing, N.R., Zweers, H., de Hollander, M, Luján Soto, R., Bouffaud, M-L., Bueé, M., Dimmers, W., Duyts, H.,Geisen, S., Girlanda, M., Griffiths, R.I., Jørgensen, H-B., Jensen, J., Plassart, P., Redecker, D., Schmelz, R., Schmidt, O.,Thomson, B.C., Tisserant, E., Uroz, S., Winding, A, Bailey, M.J., Bonkowski, M., Faber, J.H., Martin, F., Lemanceau, P., de Boer, W., van Veen, J.A. & van der Putten, W.H. Soil networks become more connected and take up more carbon as nature restoration progresses. Nature communications, 8, 14349
2016- Morriën, E. (2016) Understanding soil food web dynamics, how close do we get? Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 102, 10-13
2013- Bardgett, R.D., Manning, P., Morriën, E., de Vries, F.T. Hierarchical responses of plant-soil interactions to climate change: consequences for the global carbon cycle. Journal of Ecology, 101, 334-343
2008- Engelkes, T., Morriën, E., Verhoeven, K.J.F., Bezemer, T.M., Biere, A., Harvey, J.A., McIntyre, L.M., Tamis, W.L.M., van der Putten, W.H. Successful range-expanding plants experience less above-ground and below-ground enemy impact. Nature, 456, 946-948
2005- Kuijper, L.D.J., Berg, M.P., Morriën, E., Kooi, B.W., Verhoef, H.A. Global change effects on a Scots pine forest litter layer and the use of mechanistic models. Global Change Biology, 11, 249-265
2018- Television: Item about fungi in “De grote tuinverbouwing” at SBS6 (broadcasted 10th of November 2018)
2018- Popular article: Morriën, E. Under the magnifying glass: soil life. Amsterdam Science, 7 (May), 5-5.
2017- Radio: https://www.bnr.nl/radio/wetenschap-vandaag/10318019/waarom natuurherstel-vaak-meer-dan-30-jaar-duurt
2017- Online magazine: https://scienmag.com/why-nature-restoration-takes-time/
2017- Online magazine: https://m.phys.org/news/2017-02-nature-fungi-relationships.html
2017- Online News: https://www.dekennisvannu.nl/site/artikel/Natuur-herstelt-dankzij-schimmelnetwerken/8850
2017- Blog:Global Soil Biodiversity Initiative, Morriën, E. Why nature restoration takes time.
2017- Newspaper article: https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2017/02/09/vooral-bodemleven-vormt-de-nieuwe-natuur-6620449-a1545319
2016- onwards: Counting soil biota with school kids at primary school
2010- Popular article: Morriën, E., Engelkes, T., & Van der Putten, W. H. Klimaatgeïnduceerde areaaluitbreidende planten ondervinden minder ondergrondse en bovengrondse effecten van natuurlijke vijanden. Gewasbescherming, 41(4), 192-192.