Obituary: Jan Nonner
Dr Jan Nonner, a former Associate Professor of Hydrogeology at IHE Delft, passed away on 27 February 2025, at the age of 76. Colleagues and students remember him as a dedicated hydrogeologist, a passionate teacher and a true friend.
Jan Nonner earned his MSc degree in Hydrogeology in 1972 from the Vrije Universiteit (VU) Amsterdam. Following this, he worked as a hydrogeologist in several countries, including Canada, Mexico, South Africa, Australia, Ethiopia and Barbados. In 1985, he returned to the Netherlands and worked at Euroconsult. Jan joined IHE Delft in 1989 and continued his work here until his retirement in 2013.
A dedicated hydrogeologist
In 1993, Jan served as the Residence Team Leader for a project to support Sana'a University in Yemen, where he developed the curriculum for an MSc programme in Water and Environment at the Faculty of Engineering. The programme, launched in 1994, continues to this day. It has educated hundreds of professionals who are now managing water resources and protecting water-related environments in Yemen. Jan taught the course on Introduction to Hydrogeology for over 10 years before he in 2003, transferred the course to a local Yemeni staff member.
From 2002 to 2014, Jan was involved in a major project focused on the Middle East peace process. In this project, called EXACT, Jan contributed to the design and construction of four small groundwater recharge dams in Wadi Madoneh, Jordan, and one recharge dam in the West Bank, Palestine. These dams provided artificial groundwater recharge to help mitigate the overexploitation of groundwater resources. Additionally, he planned and installed observation wells to monitor the effects of the artificial recharge.
Jan worked on two projects in China: Groundwater Development in Northwest China (2000-2002) and Capacity Building for a China Groundwater Information Centre (2003-2008). In both projects, he conducted extensive fieldwork, trained local hydrogeologists and installed observation wells. He also co-authored two books that have benefited thousands of hydrogeologists in China.
A passionate teacher
Jan established the Groundwater Specialisation Study at IHE Delft in 1990 and served as its coordinator until his retirement in 2013. Over the course of 25 years, he taught courses in Introduction to Hydrogeology and Groundwater Exploration, supervised group projects and guided fieldwork every year. Students appreciated his step-by-step explanations in lectures, which made a complex topic easier to learn.. Jan treated every student equally, regardless of their cultural, religious or geographical background. His textbook, Introduction to Hydrogeology, continues to be used at IHE Delft. Jan mentored many MSc students and was widely respected as a patient and dedicated supervisor. His tireless teaching and guidance benefited hundreds of students from all over the world.
In their farewell to Jan upon his retirement in 2013, students from the Hydrology Class that graduated in 2011 prepared a tribute card praising Jan for his teaching: “The time we spent under your guidance during our MSc studies are amongst the most valuable days in our life.”
