[3][4][5] He undertook key research on the scaling rules for coastal models and formulated his equation for wave-driven longitudinal transport along sandy coasts.

[6][7][8] His work ultimately culminated in a PhD in Technical Sciences, which he obtained for his dissertation titled Some considerations about scales for coastal models with movable bed, supervised by Professor H.J.

Bijker was popular with his students, noted as a passionate and inspiring teacher who contributed significantly to the formation of generations of Dutch coastal hydraulic engineers for more than twenty years.

Bijker also acknowledged the possibility of a future in which numerical modelling could fully capture the development of a coast, but warned that significant fundamental research was needed to reach this point.

[13][14] In addition to his work at TU Delft, Bijker was also closely involved in the work of the Technische Adviescommissie voor de Waterkeringen (TAW - Technical Advisory Committee for Flood Defences),[15] the Civieltechnisch Centrum Uitvoering Research en Regelgeving (CUR - Centre for Civil Engineering Research and Codes)[16] and the Subsidence Committee.

However, when the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) elected to host the ICCE in South Africa in 1982, during Apartheid, Bijker emerged as a prominent force advocating for the boycott of this conference.

[23] In response to the situation, the Conference on Coastal and Port Engineering in Developing Countries (COPEDEC) was inaugurated, with the leadership and funding of the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

[24][25] Although this stance led to tension with a handful of Americans in 1982, Bijker was subsequently honoured with the International Coastal Engineering Award by the ASCE in 1986.