A.J.A.M. van Deursen

A.J.A.M. van Deursen is a Professor at the University of Twente, affiliated with the Faculty of Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences (BMS), specifically within the Department of Communication Science. He serves as the Director of the Centre for Digital Inclusion and chairs the Department of Technology, Human and Institutional Behaviour. His research is centered on digital inequality, digital skills, and the societal impacts of internet use, extending to IoT and intelligent systems.

His research interests focus on understanding how individuals engage with digital technologies and how such engagement leads to tangible outcomes across economic, cultural, social, and personal domains. He is particularly known for developing frameworks to measure digital skills and for analyzing the quality and quantity of digital support networks. His work emphasizes the role of education, socioeconomic status, and organizational contexts in shaping digital inclusion.

The recent articles reflect a strong focus on digital skills measurement, youth digital competencies, 21st-century skills in the workplace, and the sequential nature of digital skill acquisition. His publications span high-impact journals in communication, new media, and sociology, demonstrating interdisciplinary reach and methodological diversity, including surveys, qualitative interviews, and systematic reviews.

• Best Dissertation Worldwide on Technology and Communication (ICA)
• Best Dissertation in Communication Science in the Benelux (NSCR)
• Best Paper Award (ICA)
• UT in the Media Award (University of Twente)

Van Deursen has advised numerous national and international bodies, including the Dutch government, European Commission, UNESCO, UNICEF, and the International Telecommunications Union. He has led multiple large-scale research projects such as the ySKILLS and DISTO initiatives. He has also collaborated extensively with Professor Ellen Helsper (LSE) and co-authored a book with Professor Jan van Dijk on digital skills. He has held visiting professorships at the London School of Economics and Arizona State University.

He leads the Centre for Digital Inclusion and is a key figure in the From Digital Skills to Tangible Outcomes project, which fosters international collaboration across Europe and the US. His research group focuses on empirical measurement, policy development, and cross-national comparative studies.