Leen has a background in ecology, evolution, and conservation biology. During her studies in Belgium, where she grew up, Leen moved away from ‘pure’ biology and developed a fascination for zooming out and focusing on the crucial roles that the food system and land use planning play in biodiversity conservation. Fueled by this passion, she explored the potential of spatial planning to maximize European biodiversity and ecosystem service objectives during two years of research at the Vrije Universiteit of Amsterdam. She now happily applies her data analytics skills more practically in the Metabolic agrifood and biodiversity team. 

Outside of work hours, Leen loves all things outdoors: hiking, cycling, climbing, and more. When followed by some nice food and wildcamping in her hammock, she feels on top of the world.