In memoriam Pytrik Reidsma

With great sadness we announce that our  colleague Pytrik Reidsma passed away on Sunday 2 June. Pytrik was actively involved in PhD training and Education. Together with Prof Katrien Descheemaeker and the PE&RC Office she organised and gave the course “The Art of Modelling” many times.  

Pytrik has been ill for three years and in her battle with cancer, she was an inspiring example of courage and perseverance. She continued to derive energy and satisfaction from her work and her unwavering contributions to projects and supervision of students were greatly admired and appreciated by all of us. Within the Plant Production Systems (PPS) chair group, Pytrik led research on how agricultural systems can become more sustainable and resilient. She showed a characteristic drive for science and societal impact, rigour and enthusiasm in research and teaching, alongside a deep commitment to and genuine interest in the people she worked with. Pytrik led projects and supervised MSc and PhD students in Dutch, European and African agricultural systems. To this end, she worked closely with many colleagues within and outside WUR, in the Netherlands and internationally. Pytrik's teaching was particularly focused on system analysis and simulation, with applications in agriculture and climate adaptation. Furthermore, Pytrik was a highly respected editor of the journal Agricultural Systems and a member of several advisory boards.

Pytrik conducted her PhD research at PPS from 2003 to 2007 and continued working at PPS as a post-doctoral research fellow. In 2012, she started in tenure track and in 2018 she became associate professor. Pytrik was not only a valued colleague, lecturer and supervisor, but also someone you could always turn to for a good conversation, for example during a walk around campus. Her warm personality and enthusiasm for science are a lasting inspiration to us all. We miss Pytrik, and will always preserve a place for her in our thoughts while continuing her work. As such she lives on in our hearts and minds.

Source: https://intranet.wur.nl/umbraco/en/news/in-memoriam-pytrik-reidsma/ 

Let us keep Pytrik’s words about sustainability close to us and use her inspirational life as a source of energy to tackle this challenge together!