As of 1 April 2026, the Resilient Delta initiative is led by two professors: Jurian Edelenbos (Erasmus University Rotterdam) and Bregje van Eekelen (TU Delft & Erasmus University Rotterdam). We spoke with them about their new roles, the future of Resilient Delta, and what it means to do science differently. “Ultimately, the goal isn’t just to develop a new way of working—it’s to integrate it into the universities.”
Van Eekelen and Edelenbos come from different academic backgrounds: she is trained as a historian and anthropologist, he as an urban governance scholar. But they have both worked across disciplinary and institutional boundaries throughout their careers.
“Working in a transdisciplinary way means bringing different perspectives together from the outset, rather than approaching a problem from separate angles,” says Edelenbos. “That’s not something that happens easily,” Van Eekelen adds. “It’s something we’ve both been searching for in our work. That’s what connects us.”
From April 2026 onward, they will jointly lead the Resilient Delta initiative, where researchers from TU Delft, Erasmus University Rotterdam and Erasmus Medical Center collaborate with governments, companies and local communities on complex societal challenges related to climate adaptation, water management and resilient cities.
You have been asked to lead the Resilient Delta initiative together. Why did you say yes?
Van Eekelen: “I had already been working with the Resilient Delta methodology team and got to know the other academic leads, as well as the broader movement behind their work. Resilient Delta is at the forefront of transdisciplinary collaboration. At the same time, I’m aware that being a frontrunner is not always easy. This role gives me the opportunity to take responsibility for that—for example, by connecting the knowledge being developed on transdisciplinary collaboration processes with theoretical research in this area.”
Edelenbos: “I recognize that. For me, this also feels like a natural step. In public administration, I’ve always focused on the relationship between government and society, and on connecting different perspectives. That way of working lies at the heart of Resilient Delta. That really appeals to me. And I believe Bregje and I can make a meaningful contribution together.”
The themes Resilient Delta works on are complex. What does that mean for how research is conducted?
Edelenbos: “Perhaps the most important thing is accepting that you cannot simplify these issues. The common reflex in academia is often to make problems manageable by narrowing them down to a single discipline. But that simply doesn’t work here.”
Van Eekelen: “That reflex is understandable, but you lose exactly what makes these issues complex. Challenges related to water, health, or inequality inherently span multiple disciplines—they don’t exist within just one.”
Edelenbos: “It also means you have to work differently from the outset. Not by analyzing from one perspective first and then adding others, but by working from multiple perspectives simultaneously. And, importantly, by working together with actors outside the university.
That changes how you look at these challenges. You bring together different ways of thinking and working, which makes it possible to develop knowledge that can be applied across contexts.”
How does this way of working translate into your own research?
Edelenbos: “In my research, I focus a lot on what we call ‘boundary spanners’: people who connect different worlds—government, society, and academia. That requires understanding different logics and being able to move between them.
In a way, that is also what we aim to do within Resilient Delta: bringing people and perspectives together and making those connections actually work.”
Van Eekelen: “My work is more focused on the knowledge itself. I look at how ideas and concepts move between different contexts—what we call ‘boundary objects’. What happens when you shape knowledge in a way that makes it usable across different settings? That’s highly relevant here, as we continuously bridge disciplines and connect science with practice.”
Boundary spanners often face challenges in the academic world. Why is that, you think?
Edelenbos: “We are essentially asking something different of people than what the system is designed for. We expect researchers to build relationships with societal partners and to move beyond their own discipline.”
Van Eekelen: “And that takes time. It’s work that often remains invisible, even though it is essential.”
Edelenbos: “That creates tension. Impact and engagement are becoming increasingly important, but they are not yet fully embedded in how academic work is organized. Universities are searching for ways to address this.”
Van Eekelen: “Yes, sometimes you need to create a space where you can experiment and pioneer, in order to bring those insights back into existing structures. Convergence is one such space. Here, we develop knowledge about how to integrate disciplines and collaborate with societal partners—by doing it and by studying those processes at the same time.
The next challenge is ensuring that this knowledge continues to grow beyond this context. What is being developed here, both in terms of knowledge and the ecosystem, is something we ultimately want to integrate into our universities.”
What is needed to make that happen?
Van Eekelen: “Pioneers. Strong connections with—and between—the many fantastic researchers across our universities who are already working on these kinds of challenges. And support for a sustainable future. So that we don’t have to start from scratch every time, but can build on an infrastructure that is already in place.”
Edelenbos: “That is exactly what we are doing here—building that infrastructure. At Resilient Delta, transdisciplinarity is not a box to be checked within individual projects. It’s being structurally developed as a new way of doing science. And for that, you need institutional backing: people who understand what is happening here and help embed it within the universities.”
You are taking over from Machiel van Dorst, who will remain closely involved as chair of the steering committee. How can the committee support you?
Van Eekelen: “In addition to our connections with researchers, the steering committee is crucial for the institutional backing. A lot is being developed here, but it needs to land in the right places. That requires deans and administrators who are not observing from a distance, but who are actively engaged.”
Edelenbos: “Without that support, it becomes very difficult to pioneer. You’d be setting out without real backing. The deans and administrators in the steering committee provide that backing for researchers who are collaborating in new and innovative ways on highly complex societal challenges. That is of great value for the work we are doing together.”
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Marjolein Kooistra, kooistra@essb.eur.nl
