He is responsible for research and education in the transport of water, solutes, heat and gases in topsoils at the undergraduate and graduate level. A main focus of his work is physical transport processes and their interaction with vegetation development and micro-meteorology. Dr van Dam is one of the main developers of the widely-used ecohydrological model SWAP (Soil Water Atmosphere Plant). He is author or co-author of more than 60 peer-reviewed international scientific publications.