TU Delft Congratulates Its Oldest PhD Graduate Ever

On 17 June 2024, 89-year-old Hans van Duivendijk defended his doctoral thesis ‘Fighting Against the Current’ on sealing dike breaches with relatively simple methods. This makes him the oldest PhD graduate ever at TU Delft.

Van Duivendijk, born in 1934, began his career as a student during the 1953 flood disaster and has since been involved in hydraulic engineering works worldwide in countries such as Bangladesh and Ghana. He was also a partner at engineering firm Haskoning and a part-time lecturer in hydropower engineering at TU Delft.

Van Duivendijk’s research focuses on both historical methods of dike repair between 1200 and 1900 and modern applications of these methods in developing countries. Van Duivendijk’s promotor was Prof. Bas Jonkman of the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences at TU Delft. Second promotor and co-promotor were Dr Bas Hofland and Dr Mark Voorendt, respectively.

Jonkman: “Hans van Duivendijk has conducted a unique hydraulic-historical research project. He drew on his own experience with dike closures after the 1953 flood disaster and closures he led in Bangladesh and Ghana. The insights still prove highly relevant today, as they are still being closed with considerable human power in Bangladesh and other countries in Southeast Asia.”