Toon Tierens

Toon Tierens is an external doctoral researcher at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, affiliated with the Methodology of Educational Sciences Research Group. He works on the SMASCH (Smart Schools) project under the supervision of Prof. Mathias Decuypere, Prof. Sigrid Hartong, and Dr. Samira Ali Reza Beigi.

• Research Focus: Platformisation of schools, digitalisation of education, private-public partnerships, and qualitative research methodologies

His recent publications explore digital education's impact on teacher professional identity, edtech startup valuation dynamics, and temporal governance in education policy. Key themes include platformisation, socio-technical systems, and critical analyses of digital educational governance.