Marijk Van der Wende

Marijk Van der Wende is a Distinguished Faculty Professor of Higher Education at Utrecht University’s Faculty of Law, Economics and Governance. She holds affiliate roles at institutions like the Center for Studies in Higher Education (UC Berkeley) and chairs the Supervisory Board of the Open University of the Netherlands. Her research focuses on global trends impacting higher education systems, including internationalization, academic mobility, and university governance. She has held leadership roles such as Dean of Graduate Studies at Utrecht University and Founding Dean of Amsterdam University College.

• Educations: BA in teaching/pedagogy and MA/PhD in educational sciences from the University of Amsterdam and Utrecht University.
• Professional Affiliations: Member of Academia Europaea, President of the European Higher Education Society (EAIR), and advisory roles at OECD, Harvard, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Her research interests emphasize global higher education systems, open societies, and the role of universities in addressing geopolitical challenges. Recent publications analyze EU-China academic collaboration, the future of liberal arts education, and the impact of nationalism on universities. Key projects include exploring conditions for sustainable EU-China partnerships and rethinking internationalization across disciplines.

Publications highlight her work on topics like university governance, global competitiveness, and the Belt and Road Initiative's influence on research partnerships. She has contributed to policy discussions on Brexit’s effects on academic collaboration and the role of universities in fostering open societies amid rising geo-political tensions. Her grants and projects focus on institutional resilience and strategic autonomy in higher education.