Niels has a background in tropical soil science. He joined ISRIC in 1990 after having worked as a soil surveyor and land evaluation expert respectively in East Africa and the Caribbean. He has over 30 years of experience in developing and applying land resources information systems in the framework of international research and capacity building projects e.g. databases and soil mapping (WISE, SOTER, SOTWIS, WoSIS) as well as soil carbon stocks and change, in the context of climate change mitigation and adaptation (ORCASA, CIRCASA; BSC-SCOPE; GEF-SOC; GEF-CBP; SOCNOP; USAID-SOC). He is the (co-)author of over 70 peer-reviewed publications (ISI Web of Science H-index 39), several book chapters and numerous technical reports.

Niels is a Fellow of the British Society of Soil Science (F.I. Soil Sci.), member of the Scientific Steering Group of the International Soil Carbon Network (ISCN), member of the CoreTrustSeal Assembly of Reviewers, and Editorial Advisory Board of Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment. 

Niels speaks Dutch, English and French