Dr. Nienke Smit is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Education at Utrecht University's Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences. Her research focuses on scaffolding processes, adaptive teaching, and classroom observational research from a complex dynamic systems perspective. Specializes in teacher-student interaction Expert in adaptive instruction and observational methods Collaborates with Data Science department Develops tools for classroom observation Research interests include language learning and teaching , judgment and decision-making in education , and professional development of teachers . She leads projects like Eye Get It (joint attention in classrooms) and a replication study on adaptive instruction effectiveness. Her work applies dynamic systems theory to second language development and foreign language pedagogy. Recent publications address translanguaging in multilingual classrooms, replication studies , and process-oriented research . She teaches at Utrecht's Graduate School of Teaching and works on initiatives to reduce teacher shortages through improved training programs.
Jakob Schoeffer is a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Artificial Intelligence department at the Bernoulli Institute for Mathematics, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Groningen (Netherlands). His work focuses on the intersection of human decision-making and artificial intelligence, particularly in high-stakes contexts where fairness, transparency, and appropriate human-AI collaboration are critical. Dr. Schoeffer's research interests center on responsible and explainable AI, with specific focus areas including: Human-AI collaboration dynamics in decision-making processes Fairness perceptions and interventions in AI systems Appropriate reliance on AI recommendations Explainable AI techniques for high-stakes domains Transparency mechanisms that improve human-AI team performance Label indeterminacy issues in medical AI applications His recent publications (2023-2025) reveal a strong trend toward applying AI research in critical domains like healthcare (particularly neurological recovery prediction), while maintaining a rigorous focus on the human aspects of AI deployment. His work spans both theoretical foundations of human-AI interaction and practical implementations, often employing mixed-methods approaches that combine technical AI development with behavioral studies. Dr. Schoeffer actively collaborates with researchers across institutions including the University of Texas at Austin and has made significant contributions to top conferences in AI ethics, fairness, and human-computer interaction. His research has been featured in multiple news outlets and policy discussions, indicating real-world impact of his work on responsible AI development. Prior to his current appointment, Dr. Schoeffer was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Texas at Austin. He received his PhD from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Germany with a dissertation titled "On the Interplay of Transparency and Fairness in AI-Informed Decision-Making." He also holds a master's degree in Operations Research from Georgia Tech and industry experience as a Senior Data Scientist at IBM.
Dr. Shanshan Lan is a researcher affiliated with the University of Amsterdam’s Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, where she contributes to the Moving Matters programme group. Her work focuses on urban anthropology, migration patterns, and racial formations across Asia and Euro-America. She examines transnational student mobility, global cities, African diasporas in China, and Chinese diasporas in the U.S., with a particular emphasis on class dynamics and social change. Her research employs ethnographic methods, including walking ethnography in urban environments, to explore how race and migration intersect with globalization. Notable projects include studies on African communities in Guangzhou, the role of the Catholic Church in African diasporas, and the experiences of Western entrepreneurs during the pandemic. Key Interests: Transnational migration, racial knowledge circulation, pandemic sociology, and global urban studies. Recent Focus: Whiteness studies in China, precarious migrant identities, and the impact of globalization on education and labor markets. Lan has received recognition for her work, including the Honorary Mention of the 2006 SUNTA Graduate Student Prize. Her publications span academic journals and edited volumes, addressing topics from racial inclusion policies to transnational business networks.
David Peeters is an Associate Professor at Tilburg University's Department of Communication and Cognition, part of the Tilburg School of Humanities and Digital Sciences. His research focuses on multimodal communication, multilingualism, and digital communication, leveraging immersive virtual reality (VR) technologies combined with EEG, eye-tracking, and fMRI. He explores neurobiological underpinnings of language, including neuropragmatics, non-verbal communication, and multilingualism. His work is supported by grants such as the NWO Veni and Tilburg University Fund. Peeters teaches courses on virtual reality, language psychology, and digital literature integration in education. He is a Research Fellow at the Donders Institute and President of the Tilburg Young Academy. Key research interests include the role of gesture and iconicity in second language acquisition, bilingual language switching in immersive environments, and the impact of dataism on academic publishing. He collaborates with libraries and schools to integrate digital literature into curricula and public collections. His scientific awards include the NWO Veni Grant and a Fellowship from the International Max Planck Research School for Language Sciences. His research bridges cognitive science, linguistics, and technology, emphasizing ecologically valid experimental paradigms.
Nezihe Merve Gürel is an Assistant Professor in Computer Science at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), affiliated with the Pattern Recognition & Bioinformatics Group within the Intelligent Systems Department of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science. Her research focuses on developing robust, reliable, and efficient machine learning methods with enhanced reasoning capabilities, bridging theoretical rigor and practical applications. She emphasizes data-centric approaches to improve ML systems. Education: PhD in Computer Science from ETH Zurich, MSc from EPFL (Switzerland). Research Interests: ML robustness, reliability, reasoning, data-centric ML, federated learning, and explainable AI. Her recent work includes certified robustness for retrieval-augmented models and time-efficient learning algorithms. She has contributed to the Journal of Data-centric Machine Learning Research as an executive editor and served as a reviewer for top ML conferences (NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR). She previously held roles at IBM Research, Stanford University's Human-Centered AI Lab, and Westlake Institute for Advanced Study. Her awards include the Generation Google Scholarship and Cisco Research Funding . Scientific Awards : Generation Google Scholarship (2021) Cisco Research Center University Funding Labs & Teams : She leads research in the Pattern Recognition Laboratory at TU Delft and collaborates with international institutions like Stanford and Westlake Institute for Advanced Study.
Güneş Acar is a tenured Assistant Professor in the Digital Security group at Radboud University's Faculty of Science. He is also affiliated with iHub, Radboud's interdisciplinary research hub on digitalization and society. His research focuses on security and privacy threats from websites, mobile apps, and IoT devices, with special emphasis on online tracking mechanisms, anonymous communication networks like Tor, and deceptive design patterns. Dr. Acar completed his PhD at KU Leuven under the supervision of Claudia Diaz and Bart Preneel. Prior to joining Radboud University, he was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at KU Leuven's COSIC group and a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Princeton University's Center for Information Technology Policy. His research spans web security, privacy, online tracking, IoT security, Tor network analysis, and dark patterns. He investigates how websites, mobile apps, and IoT devices compromise user privacy through various tracking mechanisms and deceptive interface designs. His work combines large-scale measurements with user studies to understand both technical vulnerabilities and their real-world impact on users. Dr. Acar's publications reveal an evolving research trajectory from foundational web tracking mechanisms to increasingly sophisticated privacy threats. His work has expanded from browser fingerprinting to IoT privacy, children's online safety, and manipulative design patterns in subscription interfaces. A consistent theme across his research is the examination of how third-party trackers operate and circumvent privacy protections. 2022 CNIL-Inria Award for Privacy Protection (for Leaky Forms paper) Top Reviewer Award, Privacy Enhancing Technologies Symposium (2022) Future of Privacy Forum's Annual Privacy Papers for Policymakers Award (2020) Runner-up for multiple Caspar Bowden Awards for Outstanding Research in Privacy Enhancing Technologies Dutch Research Council (NWO) Vidi Grant (2025-2030) for "A Web Security and Privacy Observatory" Dr. Acar actively supervises PhD students including Zahra Moti, Tim Vlummens, and Luqman Zagi, with Asuman Senol recently completing her PhD in 2024. He has secured significant research funding including the NWO Vidi Grant and a project grant from armasuisse for the Mobile Web Inspector project. His research has influenced policy discussions with organizations including the OECD, US Federal Trade Commission, and European consumer protection authorities. As part of the Digital Security group at Radboud University, Dr. Acar contributes to a vibrant research ecosystem focused on practical security and privacy solutions. His work bridges technical security research with human-centered perspectives, often collaborating across disciplines to address complex privacy challenges in real-world contexts.
Dr. Mia You is a translingual poet and Assistant Professor at Utrecht University’s Department of Languages, Literature and Communication within the School of Humanities. She specializes in modern and contemporary literature, focusing on intersections between poetry, feminist theory, and global English. PhD in English from UC Berkeley MA in Regional Studies: East Asia from Harvard University BA in English Literature from Stanford University Her research explores creative humanities, translingualism, and sustainability through projects like the NWO-VENI Grant: Poetry in the Age of Global English . She contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Gender Equality and Sustainable Cities. Mia’s recent publications analyze bilingual practices, meme aesthetics, and literary resistance. She actively organizes conferences such as Against Extinction and collaborates with institutions like UNESCO City of Literature. NWO-VENI Grant (2022): Fellowship awarded competitively C. C. S. Crone Stipend (2018): Prize for non-fiction books As a member of the Creative Critical Approaches to the Health Humanities initiative and co-organizer of translingual writing workshops, Mia bridges art, literature, and societal change.
Sible Andringa is Professor of Second Language Pedagogy at the University of Amsterdam's Faculty of Humanities, officially inaugurated on June 16, 2023. Dr. Andringa serves as Academic Director of the Institute for Dutch Language Education (INTT), Coordinator of the Language Learning, Literacy and Multilingualism research group, and Coordinator of the Master's program in Dutch as a Second Language and Multilingualism. Dr. Andringa's research focuses on second language acquisition and bilingualism, specifically investigating the added value of explicit instruction, how input distribution affects language learning outcomes, and the role of awareness in language learning trajectories. Key ongoing projects include the Meta-LLL project examining how literacy shapes language learning, the SLA4All initiative for reproducing SLA research with non-academic samples, and the OASIS project creating accessible research summaries for practitioners. Previously, Dr. Andringa led Project MIND studying bilingual daycare effects and contributed to the Stilis project on listening proficiency. As General Editor of the Dutch Journal of Applied Linguistics (DuJAL), Dr. Andringa promotes open science principles in language research. Recent publications demonstrate a focus on addressing sampling biases in SLA research, open access publishing ethics, and practical applications of language acquisition research for educational settings. Academic Director, Institute for Dutch Language Education (INTT) Coordinator, Language Learning, Literacy and Multilingualism research group Coordinator, Master's program Dutch as a Second Language and Multilingualism General Editor, Dutch Journal of Applied Linguistics (DuJAL) Member, Mastery Team for Modern Foreign Languages Member, OASIS project team Member, IRIS database advisory group Dr. Andringa supervises PhD candidates including Kyra Hanekamp and Darlene Keydeniers, particularly in research related to bilingual daycare environments and language development. The research program has received funding from the Dutch ministry of Social Affairs for Project MIND and continues to secure support for ongoing projects examining language learning mechanisms. Dr. Andringa leads the Language Learning, Literacy, and Multilingualism research group which investigates language and literacy acquisition across the lifespan, with emphasis on how language skills are learned, maintained, and used in educational contexts. The group meets weekly to discuss projects, plans, funding opportunities, and research topics while promoting collaboration, methodological innovation, and open science principles.
Prof. Dr. Sandra Ponzanesi is a full Professor at Utrecht University's Department of Media and Culture Studies, leading the Graduate Gender Programme. Her interdisciplinary research bridges postcolonial theory , gender studies , media studies , and digital humanities , with a focus on Italian colonial history, European migration, and postcolonial cinema. PhD in Comparative Literary Studies and Gender Studies (Utrecht University) MA in English and Commonwealth Studies (University of Sussex, UK) MA in Modern Languages and Literature (University of Bologna, Italy) Her work explores how digital technologies reshape European integration through digital diasporas and connected migrant networks. Recent projects like "Virtual Reality as Empathy Machine" examine VR's role in humanitarian communication, while the completed ERC-funded CONNECTINGEUROPE project investigated digital migration's impact on citizenship. Key publication themes include postcolonial cultural industries , transnational women intellectuals , and digital affective belonging . She has co-edited 10+ volumes and guest-edited special issues in Popular Communication , Transnational Screens , and Postcolonial Studies . ERC Consolidator Grant (2014) NWO Internationalization Grant EU 7th Framework Program grant As founder of Utrecht's Postcolonial Studies Initiative and organizer of international conferences, she connects scholars across migrant communities , activist networks , and digital humanities to reimagine Europe's postcolonial future.
Prof. Jacco van Ossenbruggen is a Full Professor in Intelligent Information Systems at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU), affiliated with the Network Institute. He serves on the Management Board of ODISSEI, a national research infrastructure for social sciences and economics. His academic background includes a PhD in Computer Science (2001) from VU’s Faculty of Science, focusing on hypermedia processing. Research Interests: His work centers on cultural AI, FAIR data principles, ontology engineering, and semantic web technologies. Key areas include inclusive cultural heritage metadata, bias mitigation in AI systems, and knowledge discovery via linked data. Recent projects involve leveraging large language models (LLMs) for metadata enrichment and ontology construction. Key Contributions: He leads initiatives like the Cultural AI Lab, exploring AI applications for cultural heritage. His research bridges technical innovations (e.g., semantic integration of restricted-access data) with societal impacts (e.g., ethical AI frameworks for public-sector applications). Developed frameworks for evaluating entity alignment in knowledge graphs Pioneered FAIR-aligned data management plans for scientific communities Designed tools like Alter Heritage for collaborative metadata curation Grants & Projects: Principal Investigator of the ODISSEI Portal project (2020–2024), advancing open data infrastructures. Active in funding initiatives promoting reproducible research and ethical data practices. Labs/Teams: Cultural AI Lab at VU, focusing on AI-driven solutions for cultural heritage preservation and accessibility.
Himanshu Verma is an Assistant Professor at the Knowledge and Intelligence Design Group within the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering at Delft University of Technology. His research focuses on Human-AI Collaboration, Cognitive Empathy, and designing AI systems attuned to human needs. Prior to TU Delft, he held postdoctoral roles at the University of Fribourg, EPFL, and HES-SO Valais-Wallis, Switzerland. Education: PhD in Computer Science (EPFL, Switzerland), focusing on collaborative group interactions and shared environments. Postdoctoral research in Human-Computer Interaction and Ubiquitous Computing. Research Interests: Empathy-Centric Design for inclusive technologies. Social Signal Processing in human-AI interactions. Health, well-being, and accessibility in AI systems. Key Projects: Co-leads the PERISCOPE (H2020) research project. Designs tools like EmpathiCH and COCTEAU for empathy-driven decision-making. Teaching: Design Analytics (2023–2024). Empirical Design Research (2024). Labs & Teams: Active in the Knowledge and Intelligence Design Group, focusing on AI ethics, hybrid workspaces, and empathetic systems.
Prof. dr. Norbert Corver is a Professor of Dutch Linguistics at Utrecht University , affiliated with the Department of Languages, Literature and Communication and the Institute for Language Sciences . He chairs the Dutch Linguistics division and leads the Mind your Manner Adverbials! (MiMA) project funded by an NWO Open Competition grant (2021-2025). He was a Visiting Professor at the University of Connecticut (2019) and serves as editor of Studies in Generative Grammar . Education: PhD in Linguistics (1990, Tilburg University) Research Interests: Syntax, generative grammar, language variation, syntactic interfaces, and affective language structures Key Projects: MiMA (syntax of adverbials), AThEME (multilingualism in Europe), Syntax of Idioms (NWO-FWO collaboration), DiDDD (Dutch noun phrase diversity) Scientific Recognition: Member of Academia Europaea Current Work focuses on the syntax of adverbials through comparative Germanic studies, while his broader research explores curse expressions, numerical expressions, and dialectal variation. He maintains active collaborations across Europe and contributes to digital resources like the Taalportaal (Dutch/Frisian grammar portal).
National Research Institute for Mathematics and Computer ScienceNetherlands
Geoffrey G. Parker is Professor of Engineering at Dartmouth College and Director of the Master of Engineering Management Program, with additional affiliation as Research Fellow at MIT’s Initiative for the Digital Economy where he leads platform industry research and co-chairs the MIT Platform Strategy Summit. His academic credentials include a B.S.E. from Princeton University and M.S./Ph.D. degrees from MIT. Parker pioneered foundational theories in digital platform economics, most notably co-developing the theory of "two-sided" markets that explains how platforms like Uber and Airbnb create value. His research examines platform business model innovation, network effects, and strategic adaptation in digital ecosystems, culminating in the globally influential book "Platform Revolution" (published in 10 languages). Current work focuses on policy implications of platform dominance, evidenced by his EU Digital Markets Act advisory role. Major recognitions include: Thinkers50 2019 Digital Thinking Award (with Marshall Van Alstyne) for concepts of inverted firms and platform adaptation Election as Fellow of the Production and Operations Management Society (Spring 2020) Parker actively translates research into practice through executive advising on platform strategy and frequent keynotes. His policy engagement includes membership in the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Advanced Manufacturing (Fall 2020) and European Commission expert panels on digital regulation.
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.
Dr. Dave Murray-Rust is an Associate Professor in Human-Algorithm Interaction Design at TU Delft's Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering. He explores the intersection of humans, data, and AI through design research, focusing on ethical AI systems and sociotechnical interactions. His work bridges computer science, design theory, and digital sociology, addressing challenges like algorithmic fairness and human-AI collaboration. He leads initiatives such as the AI Futures Lab and Data-Centric Design Lab, advancing methods for leveraging behavioral data in design processes. His research emphasizes experiential AI frameworks, metaphors for designers, and the legibility of AI systems. He has been honored with awards including Best alt.HRI 2024 and a CHI 2023 Best Paper Award for contributions to fairness perceptions in algorithmic decision-making. Murray-Rust teaches courses like the Speculative Design Studio and collaborates on projects like DCODE (Designing the Future of AI) and the BrightSky Project. His work extends to public engagement through installations like GeoPact and explorations of blockchain's societal impact. He holds an Honorary Fellowship at the University of Edinburgh.
