Kène Henkens

Kène Henkens serves as Professor of Ageing, Retirement and the Lifecourse at the University Medical Center Groningen (University of Groningen) and holds a chair in Sociology of Retirement at the University of Amsterdam's Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences. As Theme Leader of Demographic Change and the Labour Market, he directs research on aging workforce transitions and employer behaviors in aging labor markets.

• PhD from Utrecht University (1998)
• Associate Editor of Work, Aging & Retirement (Oxford)
• Member of Academia Europaea

His research spans retirement dynamics, pension systems, and demographic shifts, with particular focus on:

• Older worker transitions into retirement
• Employer strategies in aging labor markets
• International retirement migration patterns
• Pension system design and participant behavior

Henkens' recent publications demonstrate growing emphasis on cross-cultural retirement experiences, pension information processing, and the intersection of demographic change with cultural institutions. His work combines longitudinal employer-employee perspectives with experimental methodologies.

• Recipient of NWO VIDI grant (early-career)
• Awarded NWO VICI grant (2014, senior researcher)
• Regular contributor to Dutch policy debates through Netspar

Henkens leads multiple collaborative projects including LEEP (Longitudinal Employer-Employee Perspectives), Doorwerken voor AOW, and studies on retirement migration. His research group maintains strong connections with Dutch pension funds, employer organizations, and international academic networks through Centerdata and Netspar initiatives.