Sam grew up in Belgium where he completed his Bachelor of Bio-Medical Laboratory Technology at University College Ghent. Consecutively, he completed his Master of Science in Bioscience Engineering at Ghent University where he developed his passion and research interest for forests and trees while conducting his Master’s thesis in the savanna forests of northern Namibia. Bitten by a travel bug and pursuing a career in forest research, Sam decided to move to the other side of the world and call Australia home, Anno 2016.
During his first year in Australia, Sam worked as a research assistant in forestry research for The University of Melbourne, Charles Darwin University, and the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC) on a wide range of projects across Australia. In 2017, he started his PhD on “Determining the potential of forest biomass resources for bioenergy production in Queensland, Australia” at UniSC.
In 2021, Sam became a Research Fellow at UniSC after completing his PhD. While being fully established in southeast Queensland and becoming a permanent resident of Australia, Sam quickly developed a diverse research profile within the Forest Industries Research Centre (FIRC) and the Forest Research Institute (FRI).
Following his PhD thesis, Sam remains an active researcher in the forest biomass-bioenergy space through various funded projects across niche biomass markets in Australia, including sandalwood plantations.
Over time, Sam has increased FRI's capacity in bushfire research, securing FRI’s first citizen science grant for the project “Bushfire resilience, fuelled by artificial intelligence and citizen science". A multi-disciplinary project that involves the design and implementation of the NOBURN app as a citizen science data collection tool to assist in disaster resilience, preparedness and response to bushfires.
Since 2021, Sam also took on a role as project manager for the Forest Pest Management (FPM) Research Consortium, where he continuously works with forest industry partners across Australia towards integrated weed, pest and disease management practices. The project is considered one of the largest and most successful research collaborations in the forest industry in Australia.
Professional Memberships
- Forestry Australia
- Australian Citizen Science Association
Awards/Fellowships
- AFPA Blue Sky Young Researcher Innovation Award 2022
- Winner 2020 Three Minute Thesis Competition at Forestry @ USC research showcase
- European Biomass Conference & Exhibition (EUBCE) 2019 Student Award
- Excellence in HDR Leadership Award University of the Sunshine Coast 2018
- Bioenergy Innovation Awards 2018 - Australian Biomass for Bioenergy Assessment
Professional Social Media
Research Concentrations
- Forest Pest Management (FPM) Research Consortium - a cooperative research initiative including forest growers, control agent providers and research providers aiming to enhance the safe and effective control of pests, weeds and diseases in forestry plantations through integrated management practices.
- NOBURN – a multi-disciplinary citizen science project that involves the design and implementation of the NOBURN app used to capture evidence of forest fuels by citizen scientists and provides information to predict the probability, severity and burn area of potential bushfires using artificial intelligence.
Research Grants
|
Grant/Project name |
Investigators |
Funding body & A$ value |
Year(s) |
Focus (of research grant) |
|
Forest Pest Management (FPM) Research Consortium |
S Van Holsbeeck, M Brown, A Howe |
Forest and Wood Products Australia Ltd $468,500 |
2022-2025 |
Maintain ecosystem health and the productive capacity of forestry plantations by finding and taking appropriate measures to lessen the impact of weeds and pests |
|
Integrated forest biomass management in Northern Queensland |
S Van Holsbeeck, M Brown |
UniSC Launch (Internal) $29,798 |
2022-2023 |
Evaluate the availability of biomass resources for bioproducts within forestry commodities in north Queensland |
|
Bushfire resilience, fuelled by artificial intelligence and citizen science |
M Brown, S Van Holsbeeck, P Salmon, A Ward, S Casey, H Dugmore, S Horsfall |
AusIndustry Citizen Science Grants $498,426 |
2021-2025 |
Develop a fire prediction and modelling system – NOBURN (NatiOnal BUshfire Resilience Network) in collaboration with citizen scientists |
|
Control of Brassica in eucalypt plantations post planting |
S Van Holsbeeck, M Brown |
Assistance Grants - Access to Industry Priority Uses of Agvet Chemicals, Forest and Wood Products Australia - Research and Development Scheme $30,000 |
2019-2024 |
Finding post-plant control options Brassica species in forestry plantations |
|
Control of Teratosphaeria Leaf Disease (TLD) with systemic fungicides |
S Van Holsbeeck, M Brown |
Assistance Grants - Access to Industry Priority Uses of Agvet Chemicals, Forest and Wood Products Australia - Research and Development Scheme $55,000 |
2019-2024 |
Finding curative control options for Teratosphaeria Leaf Disease in eucalypt plantations |
|
Australian Forest Herbicide Research Consortium |
M Brown, S Van Holsbeeck, A Howe |
Forest and Wood Products Australia Ltd $943,339 |
2018-2023 |
Improved management and application of weed control |
|
Integrated biomass residue management in Sandalwood Plantations |
D Lee, M Berry, S Van Holsbeeck |
IEA Bioenergy Task 43 $34,170 |
2021-2021 |
Evaluate host plant biomass production in sandalwood plantations for potential bio-energy production |
Potential Research Projects for HDR & Honours Students
- Characterising and modelling of spray drift during forestry pesticide application
- Safety and efficacy testing of selective or biological pesticides in forestry
- Developing new fuel hazard criteria for flammable forest fuels
- Bushfire severity and intensity modelling through fuel hazard assessment
- Optimising forestry plantations for biomass recovery
Research areas
- Forest biomass utilisation
- Spray drift
- Invasive weed management
- Sandalwood plantation management
- Forest pest and disease management
- Bushfire hazard assessment and forest fuels
Teaching areas
- Silviculture
- Plant Growth and Reproduction
- Agricultural and Forest Ecology
- Forest Health
Research Publications
- Van Holsbeeck S., et al., Annual diameter growth of Pterocarpus angolensis (Kiaat) and other woodland species in Namibia. Forest Ecology and Management 373 (2016) 1-8
- De Cauwer V., et al., Predicting site productivity of the timber tree Pterocarpus angolensis. Southern Forests: a Journal of Forest Science 79 (2017) 259-268
- Van Holsbeeck S., et al., A Review on the Potential of Forest Biomass for Bioenergy in Australia. Energies 13 (2020) 1147
- Van Holsbeeck S. and Srivastava S.K., Feasibility of locating biomass-to-bioenergy conversion facilities using spatial information technologies: a case study on forest biomass in Queensland, Australia. Biomass and Bioenergy 139 (2020) 105620.
- Van Holsbeeck S., et al., A two-stage DSS to evaluate optimal locations for bioenergy facilities. Forests. Forests 11 (2020) 968.
- Lawes M., et al., Bark functional ecology and its influence on the distribution of Australian half-butt eucalypts. Austral Ecology 46 (2021) 1097-1111.
- Kulisic B., et al., The Contributions of Biomass Supply for Bioenergy in the Post-COVID-19 Recovery. Energies 14 (2021) 8415.
Sam Van Holsbeeck's specialist areas of knowledge include: Forest pest and disease control, Bushfire hazard assessment and bushfire modelling, Forest biomass utilisation, Spray drift, Invasive weed management, Sandalwood plantation management.
In the news
How citizens are helping science change the future
23 Nov 2023From tracking turtles and monitoring marine environments to sounding out biosphere changes and collecting bushfire data, ‘everyday scientists’ are joining forces with researchers to gather data across the country.