Dr. Ellis Penning is an expert on Nature Based Solutions, aquatic ecology, and eco hydraulics at Deltares (Delft, The Netherlands). She has over 21 years of experience and a Ph.D. in Ecohydraulics. Ms. Penning heads the strategic research line on Nature Based Solutions within Deltares. Ms. Penning focuses her work on the interaction of vegetation in rivers and lakes with water quantity and water quality processes and the innovative monitoring and management of this vegetation, using remote sensing and innovative monitoring techniques. She heads the International Steering Committee of the large-scale outdoor flume facilities in the River Experiment Center of the Korean Institute for Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT) and leads the IAHR working group on Nature-based Solutions.
Providing new evidence via measured data from both field and flume experiments on the interaction between vegetation and its surrounding environment helps to create a better understanding and provides the basis for better management of these systems. The linking of this experimental data with new model developments for predicting the impact of vegetation on both flood risk management and environmental quality is a key aspect of her work. She is the Deltares project lead for various projects that specifically provide this linkage, such as the Ecoshape Pilot on Vegetated Sandy Foreshores along the Houtribdijk in the large shallow Lake Markermeer and the project on the assessment of the role of woody floodplain vegetation in reducing wave impact on the dikes along parts of the Rhine river. In the Dotterproject she is developing new techniques for spatial mapping of vegetation in flowing waters using new monitoring techniques including full spectrum cameras on Unmanned Areal Vehicles to provide water managers with more accurate insight into the amount and location of vegetation in their area to improve the management of this vegetation for both flood risk management and ecological values.
Ellis Penning is active in various EU projects such as the MARS and Hydralab projects and has extensive experience in international cooperation both in Europe and Asia. At present, she is the co-chair of the International Steering Committee of the River Experiment Centre of the Korean Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology and leads the Deltares contribution to the joint project on vegetated flows in this unique large outdoor flume facility.