Find Academic Supervisors

Nina Schwarz is Assistant Professor of human-environment interactions in cities at the Department of Urban and Regional Planning and Geo-Information Management, ITC—University of Twente. Holding a Diploma in Environmental Sciences (University of Lüneburg, 2003) and a PhD in Social and Economic Sciences (University of Kassel, 2007), she spent a decade as senior scientist at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ before joining ITC. Her interdisciplinary research integrates urban land-use science, ecosystem-service evaluation and advanced modelling techniques—especially agent-based models—to explore sustainable urban development under global change. Research interests revolve around three interconnected themes: (i) urban land-use change —understanding how residential, commercial and green-space dynamics co-evolve; (ii) urban ecosystem services —quantifying both supply and demand of services such as local climate regulation, recreation and biodiversity; and (iii) behavioural modelling —formalising human decision-making to simulate policy scenarios ranging from slum-upgrading to vineyard management. She actively links these themes to UN Sustainable Development Goals, notably SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities) and SDG 15 (Life on Land). Recent publications (2022-2025) reveal a methodological breadth spanning citizen-science impact assessment in Suriname, cooling effects of urban water bodies in Chinese mega-cities, European wine-growers’ adaptive behaviour, and methodological advances in upscaling and validating agent-based land-use models. Across these studies, Schwarz consistently combines empirical field data, geospatial analytics and participatory approaches to produce policy-relevant insights for cities in both the Global North and South. She has (co-)authored >80 peer-reviewed works, accumulating c. 5 900 citations and an h-index of 28 (Scopus). While specific honours are not itemised in the supplied text, her sustained citation impact and invited contributions to major conferences (e.g., iEMSs 2020, IAHR 2025) underscore scientific recognition. Schwarz frequently engages with societal stakeholders: her projects have generated open datasets on urban green-space monitoring in Paramaribo, e-learning modules for Latin-American universities, and interactive dashboards for sustainable water management. Within ITC she contributes to capacity-building programmes for emerging economies, supervises graduate researchers and maintains active collaborations across Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia. No explicit lists of PhD students or personal grants are provided in the current corpus, but her leadership of externally funded projects (e.g., citizen-science evaluation, vineyard decision-making database) indicates ongoing acquisition of research funding.

• Urban land-use change
• Urban ecosystem services
• Agent-based modelling
• +7 more

Devrim Murat Yazan is an Associate Professor at the University of Twente, affiliated with the Department of Industrial Engineering & Business Information Systems and the Digital Society Institute. He holds a PhD from the Interpolytechnic School of Doctorate (Politecnico di Bari, Politecnico di Milano, and Politecnico di Torino, 2011, Italy). His research focuses on sustainable supply chain management, circular economic business models, industrial symbiosis networks, and decision-making frameworks for transitioning to a circular economy. Methodologies include input-output modeling, game theory, and agent-based simulation. He leads the 'Sustainable Circular Economy' research group, supported by a Horizon 2020 grant (€725k contribution from UT). The group explores decision-making in industrial symbiosis, efficient network operations, and cost/benefit-sharing mechanisms. Recent work includes developing matchmaking platforms for circular construction ecosystems and analyzing greenwashing impacts on brand perception. Awards include the CIOB Award (2024). His teaching includes courses like 'Sustainable Business Development' and 'Sustainable Supply Chains for Consumer Products'. His work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to responsible consumption and production (SDG 12) and climate action (SDG 13). Grants and collaborations involve EU Horizon 2020 and diverse institutions. Research outputs span 62 peer-reviewed articles, with a focus on circular economy implementation, industrial symbiosis dynamics, and decision-support tools.

• Circular Economy
• Sustainable Supply Chain Management
• Industrial Symbiosis Networks
• +4 more

Tiziano De Matteis is an Assistant Professor in the @Large Research group at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam's Faculty of Science, Department of Computer Systems. He also holds an affiliation with the Network Institute. His research focuses on overcoming post-Moore architecture challenges through parallel and distributed computing, high-performance systems, energy efficiency, and FPGA applications. Previously, he was a PostDoc at ETH Zurich's SPCL Group and earned his MSc/PhD from the University of Pisa. Education PhD in Computer Science, University of Pisa MSc in Computer Science, University of Pisa Research Interests Post-Moore architectures for distributed ecosystems Energy-aware parallel computing High-level abstractions for parallel software development FPGA-based hardware acceleration Data stream processing and distributed systems Recent Research Trends Recent work emphasizes: Data center risk analysis and sustainability Optimizing microservices and distributed scheduling LLM model offloading to NVMe storage Python-based data-centric programming productivity GPU interconnect performance in supercomputing Grants & Projects Participates in the EU-funded 'Extreme and Sustainable Graph Processing' project (2023-2025), exploring scalable graph algorithms and energy-efficient computing systems. Teaching Accelerator-Centric Computing Ecosystems Computer Organization Distributed Systems Systems Seminar

• Parallel and Distributed Computing
• High-Performance Computing
• Energy Efficiency in Computing
• +4 more

Dr. Frederic Ang is an Associate Professor in the Business Economics Group at Wageningen University & Research since 2023, specializing in agri-food sector productivity and sustainability. He holds a joint Ph.D. from KU Leuven and Hasselt University (2015), followed by postdoctoral roles at the University of Reading and Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. His research focuses on sustainable intensification, dynamic optimization, and agricultural productivity analysis. He currently serves as Associate Editor of the Journal of Productivity Analysis and Co-Editor of the Journal of Agricultural Economics . Key honors include the 2023 AES Outstanding Contribution Award and 2020 Best Referee Award. His work addresses agricultural efficiency, environmental policy, and farm-level decision-making. Education: Joint Ph.D. in Bioscience Engineering and Business Economics (2015) Master of Advanced Studies in Economics (2015) M.Sc. in Tropical Natural Resources Management (2009) B.Sc. in Biosystems Engineering (2007) Research Interests: Dr. Ang examines agricultural productivity through lenses of production economics, exploring sustainable practices and environmental-economic trade-offs. His work bridges theoretical models (e.g., Hicks-Moorsteen productivity indicators) with applied analyses of farm-level data, emphasizing nitrogen management, energy resilience, and microbial innovations. Awards & Grants: Recognized for contributions to agricultural economics journals and policy research. Active in OECD initiatives on productivity and environment. Projects include leading the SIMBA initiative on microbiome applications and the MINDSTEP project modeling farmer decisions under EU policies. Labs & Collaborations: Engaged with interdisciplinary teams in the Business Economics Group and international partners via projects like MIXED (agroforestry systems) and MINDSTEP. Coordinates research on circular economy principles and climate-smart agriculture.

• Agricultural Economics
• Environmental Economics
• Business Economics
• +7 more

Erik Dietzenbacher is a Full Professor of Interindustry Economics at the University of Groningen's Faculty of Economics and Business. He specializes in input-output analysis, climate change, and regional economics. He holds honorary positions at institutions like the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and has been a visiting professor at Rutgers University and UIBE in Beijing. Education: MSc in Econometrics (1982) and PhD in Economics (1991) from the University of Groningen. His academic career spans over three decades, with leadership roles including Chair of the Board of Examiners at FEB and former President of the International Input-Output Association (2013-2018). Research focuses on global value chains, environmental impacts of trade, and structural decomposition analysis. He coordinates large projects like the WIOD (World Input-Output Database), funded by the EU. Notable awards include the Ricardo Torres Gaitán Chair (2023), Officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau (2021), and An Zijie International Trade Research Award (2014). Teaching contributions include pioneering courses on academic writing and research methodology. He has supervised 15 PhD students and developed modular courses on input-output analysis worldwide. His work bridges academia and policy, influencing EU trade and climate policies through frameworks like the FIGARO MRIO database. Leadership roles include Chair of the University Committee for Academic Practice and past Head of the Global Economics and Management department. His research extends to ecological economics and sustainability, with over 100 refereed articles and 15 books, reflecting a H-index of 30 (Web of Science) and 48 (Google Scholar).

• Input-output Analysis
• Economic Growth
• Climate Change
• +6 more

Liesbeth Dries is an Associate Professor at Wageningen University & Research, specializing in Agricultural Economics and Rural Policy. Her work bridges economic theory with practical agricultural and environmental policy implementation across multiple continents. Key affiliations: WASS (Wageningen Academic Social Sciences), INRAE collaborations, Zenodo contributions Leadership roles: Project Leader for NOVASOIL, Promotor for PhD projects in Ethiopia, Ukraine, and Slovakia Her research focuses on agri-environmental policies , food systems resilience , and sustainable agricultural development , with notable work on supply chain dynamics and economic diversification in Mongolia. Recent publications analyze soil health business models , conflict impacts on agriculture , and water insecurity resilience in Nigeria. Scientific contributions include extensive datasets on short food supply chains and collaborative research with institutions in Europe, Asia, and Africa. She supervises doctoral projects examining policy impacts in post-conflict regions and climate adaptation strategies.

• Agricultural Economics
• Rural Policy
• Supply Chain Management
• +7 more

Dr. Martin J. Land is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Economics and Business , University of Groningen , specializing in Operations Management . He has held academic roles since 1992, including Programme Director for multiple Master’s programs and leadership in large-scale research projects like the €500k European-funded initiative. Doctoraal (MSc) in Econometrics and Operations Research (1992) PhD in Management Sciences (2004) His research spans Production Management , Workload Control , Smart Manufacturing , and Sustainable Energy Supply . Recent work includes optimizing hydrogen storage for offshore wind parks and developing control frameworks for high-variety manufacturing. Publications focus on improving throughput times, dispatching rules, and lean methodologies in production environments. He teaches key courses like Logistics & Supply Chain Operations and Sustainable Energy Supply , engaging over 600 students annually. Current projects involve the Prestatieverbetering Noordelijke Maakindustrie initiative, providing practical tools to small manufacturers in Northern Netherlands. Collaborations include Newcastle University Business School and Dutch consultancies like Langhout & Cazemier.

• Production Management
• Make-to-order Industries
• Workload Control
• +4 more

Justus Wesseler is a Full Professor in Agricultural Economics and Rural Policy at Wageningen University & Research. His work focuses on the intersection of biotechnology, bioeconomy, and EU policy frameworks, with a strong emphasis on sustainable development and food security. Current affiliations: Wageningen University & Research (Agricultural Economics and Rural Policy) Key research areas: Bioeconomy, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), low-risk pesticides, and fall armyworm economic impacts Collaborations: European Union institutions, OECD, and interdisciplinary teams across forestry, agriculture, and environmental science Wesseler’s research spans biotechnological innovations in agriculture, economic assessments of EU policies like the Farm-to-Fork strategy, and bioeconomy development in regions such as Africa and China. Recent projects include analyzing the economic potential of novel breeding techniques in organic farming and evaluating low-risk pesticide regulations. Advising and Projects : He supervises multiple PhD candidates, including Simonetti, Klinnert Vlachopoulou, Godinho, Kartakis, and Mozahid, across topics like data-driven agricultural sustainability, risk assessment for pesticides, and fall armyworm management in Europe.

• Agricultural Economics
• Bioeconomy
• Food Security
• +5 more

Han van Dobben is a researcher specializing in biodiversity and environmental policy at Wageningen Environmental Research, part of Wageningen University & Research. With 227 research outputs to his name, including articles, reports, and datasets, he has established himself as a significant contributor to environmental science in the Netherlands. Dr. van Dobben's research primarily focuses on nitrogen deposition and its effects on ecosystems, particularly in the context of Natura 2000 protected areas in the Netherlands. His work examines critical loads for different habitat types, salt marsh conservation under sea level rise, and soil subsidence impacts. He has been instrumental in revising nitrogen critical load values for Natura 2000 habitats, providing crucial scientific input for environmental policy decisions. His recent publication trend shows a consistent focus on refining methodologies for assessing nitrogen deposition impacts, with several 2024-2025 publications addressing response curves of habitat types to nitrogen. These works often involve collaborations with colleagues like Wamelink, Bobbink, and Roelofsen, reflecting a strong research network in Dutch environmental science. Dr. van Dobben has led multiple significant research projects including Urgente maatregelen voor behoud bedreigde Natura 2000 waarden (Urgent measures for preserving threatened Natura 2000 values) and Metamodellering Natuurplanner (Metamodeling Nature Planner). His work has been cited in policy documents and has received media attention, particularly regarding nitrogen policy in the Netherlands. He has supervised research work and contributed to the scientific understanding of coastal ecosystems, including studies on dune formation and vegetation development. His expertise is frequently sought for expert commentary on environmental issues, as evidenced by multiple press/media appearances discussing nitrogen policy and conservation challenges.

• Environmental Science
• Ecology
• Conservation Biology
• +3 more

Maarten S. Krol is an Associate Professor in Multidisciplinary Water Management at the University of Twente. His research focuses on water resource sustainability, environmental policy, and agricultural systems. Key areas include water pollution mitigation strategies, sustainable farming practices, and the water-energy-food nexus. He has contributed to global comparative analyses of agricultural water use and developed innovative datasets for farm-scale crop modeling. Education: Ph.D. in Environmental Science (implied via career trajectory). Collaborations: Extensive international partnerships, particularly in China, Kenya, and Brazil. Labs/Teams: Involved in interdisciplinary teams addressing climate change impacts and sustainable development goals. Research highlights include assessments of pharmaceutical pollution in livestock farming, CO2 emission responsibility allocation in capital investments, and the role of smallholder farming in water scarcity contexts. His work emphasizes actionable solutions through policy analysis and technological integration (e.g., AI for resource management). Publications span over 25 years, with recent focus on China’s water pollution scenarios, global agricultural sustainability, and blue-green infrastructure development. He has authored/co-authored 117 research outputs and contributed to 7 datasets, including gridded farm-scale crop maps for 56 countries.

• Water Management
• Environmental Science
• Water Footprint Assessment
• +5 more

Christina Prell is an Associate Professor in Networks, Sustainability, and Human Dimensions of Environmental Change at the University of Groningen's Faculty of Spatial Sciences. She holds a PhD in Communication and Rhetoric from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Her research focuses on multi-scale social networks' role in climate change impacts and environmental governance, including stakeholder networks, policy discourse analysis, and socio-ecological systems. Prell has published over 40 peer-reviewed articles in journals like Nature Sustainability , Social Networks , and Global Environmental Change . She leads the i-CONN Marie-Curie ITN (2019-2024) and co-leads the EU-China PANTHEON project (2024-2028), addressing decarbonization pathways. She co-founded the 'Networks & Sustainability' research group at the Rudolf Agricola School. Teaching spans social science philosophy, network analysis, and environmental governance at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Awards include the Fulbright-Austrian Scholarship (2019) and ESRC Early Career Grant (2008-2010). Her funded projects include the Integrated Coastal Resiliency Assessment (ICRA) in Maryland (2016-2018) and the 'Linking Local Consumption to Global Environmental Impacts' study (2014-2015). Research highlights include quantifying ecological inequalities from EU consumption, analyzing corruption in public procurement, and modeling global spillover effects of climate policies.

• Social Network Analysis
• Climate Change Impacts
• Environmental Governance
• +4 more

Christina Bergmann is a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics in Nijmegen, The Netherlands, where she works within the Language Development Department . She previously conducted postdoctoral research at the Laboratoire de Sciences Cognitives et Psycholinguistique (Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris) and completed her PhD at Radboud University Nijmegen and the International Max Planck Research School for Language Sciences . B.Sc. in Cognitive Science (University of Osnabrück, 2007) M.Sc. in Cognitive Neuroscience (Radboud University, 2009) PhD in Early Language Acquisition (Radboud University & Max Planck Research School, 2014) Her research focuses on how infants develop language skills despite variable environments, using experimental studies, large-scale collaborations, corpus analysis, meta-analyses, and computational models. She investigates how parental beliefs and input variability affect infant language acquisition. Christina's publications demonstrate expertise in computational modeling of speech processing, infant word recognition, and pronoun comprehension. Her work spans interdisciplinary approaches combining psycholinguistics, cognitive science, and artificial intelligence, with a particular emphasis on methodological transparency and collaborative research practices. Marie Skłodowska-Curie individual fellowship She has collaborated with leading researchers like Alejandrina Cristia and Emmanuel Dupoux , and contributes to platforms such as CogTales to support junior female cognitive scientists. Her career has been supported by institutions including the Dutch Science Organisation (NWO) , Fondation Pierre-Gilles de Gennes , and Ecole de Neurosciences Paris .

• Early Language Acquisition
• Psycholinguistics
• Computational Linguistics
• +3 more

Dr. Thijs ten Raa is a Lecturer in Economics at the School of Economics, Faculty of Law, Economics and Governance, Utrecht University. His office is located in Adam Smith Hall (AA), Kriekenpitplein 21-22, Room 2.07a, 3584 EC Utrecht. Dr. ten Raa specializes in several key areas of economics research. His primary research interests include: Environmental Economics and Sustainability Input-Output Analysis and Economic Structure Production Economics and Activity Analysis Consumer Welfare and Economic Well-being Economic Policy Analysis, particularly regarding emissions and footprint calculations Dr. ten Raa's research focuses on resolving theoretical and practical challenges in economic measurement, particularly in the areas of environmental economics and sustainability. His recent work examines the relationship between emissions, footprints, and national accounting systems, while also exploring how energy technology transfers can reduce carbon emissions across different countries. He has made significant contributions to the understanding of activity analysis in production economics and has worked extensively on measuring consumer economic well-being. His publication record demonstrates a consistent focus on methodological improvements in economic analysis, with recent articles addressing footprint analysis, emission tax incidence, input-output modeling, and consumer welfare measurement. Dr. ten Raa's work often bridges theoretical economic concepts with practical policy applications, particularly in the environmental domain. Dr. ten Raa is actively involved in teaching economics at Utrecht University and maintains a strong research profile with numerous publications in reputable journals and books. His work has been referenced in policy sources and picked up by news outlets, indicating its relevance to current economic and environmental policy discussions.

• Environmental Economics
• Input-Output Analysis
• Production Economics
• +3 more

Dr. A.E. (Bert) Steenge is a Professor at the University of Groningen's Faculty of Economics and Business, specializing in multi-sector economics, catastrophe input-output analysis, and history of economic thought. He holds life membership at Clare Hall, University of Cambridge, where he convenes the Cambridge Group in the History of Economic Analysis. His career includes positions at the University of Twente (1986-2008) and visiting appointments at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, MIT, and University of Bologna. He serves on editorial boards of Economic Systems Research and previously managed Structural Change & Economic Dynamics. His research focuses on economic modeling of disasters, income distribution, and historical economic analysis.

• Multi-sector Economics
• Catastrophe Input-Output Analysis
• History of Economic Thought

Luca Fraccascia serves as Associate Professor at Sapienza University of Rome within the Department of Industrial Engineering and Business Information Systems, while also holding an Adjunct Professor position at University of Twente. His research directly contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals through work on industrial symbiosis, circular economy systems, and sustainable consumer behavior patterns across European markets. His academic qualifications include: Scientific Qualification as Full Professor (Habilitation) from Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (awarded 10 July 2025) Scientific Qualification as Associate Professor (Habilitation) from Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (awarded 12 September 2019, valid through 12 September 2025) Fraccascia's research program integrates industrial ecology with behavioral economics , examining how circular business models transform supply chains and consumer choices. His work on stakeholder engagement frameworks for circular hubs reveals critical success factors in multi-actor collaborations, while economic complexity analyses map global circular capabilities. Recent studies investigate sustainable garment adoption drivers and electric vehicle transition barriers across socio-economic strata. Analysis of his 2025-2026 publications shows increasing focus on practical circular economy implementation, with 60% addressing supply chain resilience and 40% analyzing consumer behavior. Key trends include methodological innovation in economic complexity metrics and contextual adaptation of circular models across European regulatory environments. His scientific recognition includes: Giorgio Pagliarani Best Paper Award (2019) for empirical industry research Prize 'Giovani AiIG' (2019) for early-career contributions to industrial geography Fraccascia maintains significant editorial leadership as Editor of Resources, Conservation and Recycling Advances and Associate Editor of Sustainable Development, while serving on editorial boards for Journal of Business Research and Business Strategy and the Environment. His professional network demonstrates extensive international collaboration, particularly with Dutch and Italian research institutions focused on circular transitions. Beyond academia, he applies sustainability principles through his expertise as a certified sommelier.

• Circular Economy
• Industrial Symbiosis
• Sustainable Consumer Behavior
• +3 more