He is an expert in ice sheets and climate, but has a specific interest in polar climates, snow-atmosphere and ice-ocean interactions on meso- to global scales. The main tools he uses in his research are climate models evaluated with remote sensing and in-situ climate observations. He received his PhD cum laude in Polar Meteorology at Utrecht University in February 2013. His PhD research focused on blowing snow processes in Greenland and Antarctica. Since then, Jan has steered his research on improving snow and ice sheet processes in a global climate model (CESM). He received a NWO Veni Grant and InBev-Baillet Latour Antarctic Fellowship (both in 2014) to perform fieldwork in East Antarctica, and the AGU Cryosphere Early Career Award in 2017. He has led field expeditions to Greenland (2012) and East Antarctica (2014).