Louise Vet is Professor Emeritus of Evolutionary Ecology at Wageningen University & Research and former Director of the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), a role she held from 1999 to 2019. She is a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) and internationally recognised for her pioneering research into multi-trophic interactions, knowledge that underpins more sustainable and resilient agro-ecosystems.

Louise Vet has dedicated her career to translating ecological science into action. She sees it as her mission to highlight the critical role of ecological knowledge in building a sustainable economy, engaging politicians, business leaders and society at large. She is a leading advocate of nature-based, integrated sustainability principles, spanning biodiversity, circularity and energy systems.

These principles are not only reflected in her research and governance work, but also in practice. Under her leadership, the award-winning NIOO-KNAW laboratory and office complex in Wageningen was realised as a showcase of integrated sustainability, earning the Gouden Piramide (Golden Pyramid) Award in 2012 for inspiring commissioning in architecture.

Today, Louise Vet is founder and chair of the Deltaplan Biodiversity Restoration, chair of the board of Urgenda, and a board member of Commonland, alongside advisory roles across policy and business. She also provides scientific advice to the European Commission through the European Academies Science Advisory Council (EASAC). Her contributions have been widely recognised, including being named number one in the Sustainable 100 by Trouw (2018), receiving a Knighthood in the Order of the Netherlands Lion, and an honorary doctorate from the University of Geneva.