Alexander Minnaert

Prof. Alexander Minnaert is a Professor in Inclusion and Special Needs Education & Clinical Educational Sciences at the University of Groningen's Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences. He leads research on Specific Learning Disorders and educational problems. His work focuses on motivation, social-emotional learning, giftedness, and autism spectrum disorders, aiming to improve inclusive education systems.

Minnaert holds a PhD from KU Leuven and has held roles including Director of Research at the Department of Education (2014–2016) and Scientific Advisor to the Academy of Finland (2022–2029). He teaches in Master’s programs like Special Needs Education and coordinates research initiatives such as the 'Learning and Giftedness' workshop at Windesheim Applied University.

His research spans three clusters: specific learning disabilities, motivation/emotion/self-regulation, and student/teacher support in inclusive settings. Over 30 PhD students have been supervised, contributing to fields like deafblindness communication, twice-exceptionality, and educational policy.

Notable awards include the 2013 Best Teacher Award and Ubbo Emmius Colleghie award (2012). He chairs the Dutch Youth Institute's Youth Intervention Committee and advises on national education reforms. His projects address challenges like autism inclusion, gifted education, and early school leaving.