Chiel van Heerwaarden is an atmospheric scientist in the Meteorology and Air Quality Group at Wageningen University & Research. His research focuses on the link between clouds and landscape, thus how the properties of clouds are influenced by the land use underneath them. Currently, his research group is studying the patterns of light and shadow at the Earth’s surface driven by clouds. With his research group he builds and uses 3D computer simulations to unravel how light propagates through cloud fields. Furthermore, his group is now running a field experiment together with TU Delft and The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) to measure cloud shadows in a large spatial grid to understand better how shadows move over the landscape. Since this year, Chiel is a member of De Jonge Akademie, a platform in which young scientists of all disciplines work together in improving academia in The Netherlands.