Emeritus Prof. dr. Aad Smaal is lector Aquaculture in Delta Areas. His research focuses on the role of shellfish in the ecosystem and the many functions they perform. This not only concerns cultivation and harvesting, but also the role in water and nature management. In addition, oysters are considered as bio-builders for coastal defense. After studying biology at Free University Amsterdam, Aad joined TNO in Delft. In 1980 he transferred to the environment department of the Delta Department of Rijkswaterstaat in Middelburg. In 1997 he defended his dissertation at the University of Groningen and took up the position of head of the Aquaculture department at RIVO in Yerseke. In 2007 he was appointed as special professor of sustainable shellfish culture at Wageningen University. Until 2017 he worked as a senior researcher at Wageningen Marine Research in Yerseke. In addition to his work as a researcher, Aad has served on the board of directors of the European Aquaculture Society and received the honored life member award from the National Shellfish Association of the USA in 2017. In addition, he has been a member of the Advisory Council of the Delta Academy of the Hogeschool Zeeland and is currently board member of the Zilte Academy Zeeland.
