Appy Sluijs is receiving the Heineken Young Scientists Award 2010 for Environmental Sciences for his research into the changes that arose in the earth's ecosystems millions of years ago.

He reconstructs sudden climate changes caused by natural processes in the past. His research helps us understand the variability of ecosystems, the climate and natural processes on both human and geological timescales. Sluijs focuses in particular on climate changes in the past that resemble those in the present, making it possible to consider the influence of humankind (for example CO2 emissions) in a geological context. Appy Sluijs works at the University of Utrecht and is a member of the Royal Academy's Young Academy.