Erik P.M. Vermeulen is a Full Professor of Business and Financial Law at Tilburg University and a key researcher at the Tilburg Law and Economics Center (TILEC) in the Netherlands. He also serves as Senior Counsel Corporate/Vice President at Philips International B.V. , focusing on corporate governance, M&A, and securities law. His academic work spans comparative company law, innovation, and sustainable legal frameworks. Current Affiliation: Professor at Tilburg Law School Practice: Corporate governance and venture capital at Philips His research explores how legal structures influence corporate competitiveness and innovation, particularly in digitalization and AI. He emphasizes the intersection of Law & Technology , Responsible Organizations , and Entrepreneurial Finance . Recent article trends include insights on: 2025: AI-driven corporate transformation and global compliance 2024: Gen X's tech struggles and urban well-being 2020: Evolution of governance frameworks He directs Tilburg's International Business Law Program and advises SMEs through the International Venture Club . His global teaching spans institutions in Colombia, Belgium, Japan, and Israel.
Owen O'Donnell is a Full Professor of Applied Economics at the Erasmus School of Economics and Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management , Erasmus University Rotterdam. He is a Research Fellow at the Tinbergen Institute and an Editor of the Journal of Health Economics . Education: DPhil, University of York (UK) Research Interests: His work focuses on health economics, including health inequality, health insurance, financial protection, and labor economics, with applications in low-, middle-, and high-income countries. He employs cross-sectional analyses, equity-sensitive frameworks, and global health policy evaluation. Publications & Collaborations: He has published extensively in top journals like Lancet , PLOS Medicine , and Demography , addressing cardiovascular disease, hypertension screening, and healthcare access in India, Philippines, and Sub-Saharan Africa. His recent research emphasizes equity-sensitive welfare weights and treatment gain inequality. Professional Activities: He has served as an Editor for the Journal of Health Economics since 2007 and is actively involved in peer-review and editorial work until 2026.
Ibo van de Poel is a Full Professor at Delft University of Technology , within the Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management , specifically in the Section Philosophy . He holds the prestigious Antoni van Leeuwenhoek professorship , awarded to excellent young researchers, and is a leading figure in Design for Values , engineering ethics , and technology as social experimentation . Education: Van de Poel studied Philosophy of Science, Technology and Society at the University of Twente , with a propaedeutic exam in Mechanical Engineering . He earned his PhD in Science and Technology Studies (STS) in 1998 from the University of Twente , under the supervision of Prof. Dr. A. Rip. Research Interests: His research spans three major themes: Design for Values : Investigating how moral values can be integrated into engineering design, including empirical studies on how engineers handle value conflicts. Moral Responsibility in R&D Networks : Exploring the "problem of many hands" in large-scale research and development projects, developing formalizations and empirical methods. Ethics of Emerging Technologies : Examining ethical issues in new technologies like nanotechnology and synthetic biology , with a focus on technology as social experimentation . Publications and Impact: Van de Poel has authored over 25 international peer-reviewed articles and 15 book contributions . He is co-editor of major works including the Handbook of Philosophy of Technology and the Engineering Sciences (Elsevier, 2009), Philosophy and Engineering (Springer, 2010), and Ethics, Engineering and Technology (Wiley-Blackwell, 2011). His recent work includes leading the VICI project "New Technologies as Social Experiments" , funded by NWO. Scientific Awards: Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Professorship (TU Delft) VICI Grant for "New Technologies as Social Experiments: Conditions for Morally Responsible Experimentation" Advising and Grants: Van de Poel has led and contributed to multiple high-impact projects, including: NWO Project on "Moral Responsibility in R&D Networks" (2007–2012) EU Project on ethical issues in synthetic biology (2009–2011) VICI Project on "New Technologies as Social Experiments" (ongoing) He has also supervised PhD students and contributed to educational innovations, including the development of the AGORA web-based program and the first Dutch textbook on ethics and technology . Labs and Teams: Van de Poel is an active member of 4TU.Ethics & Technology , a federation of Dutch technical universities focused on ethics and technology. He contributes to the Simon Stevin Series in the Ethics of Technology and participates in various reading groups and PhD communities within the network.
Alfons Oude Lansink is a Professor and Chairholder in Business Economics at Wageningen University, Netherlands. He holds adjunct professorships at Universitas Padjadjaran (Indonesia) and the University of Florida (USA), and serves on the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture's CDM committee and Rabobank's scientific advisory board. His academic career spans roles as director of Wageningen School of Social Sciences (WASS) and Secretary-General of the European Association of Agricultural Economists. Education: MSc and PhD in Agricultural Economics from Wageningen University Leadership: Head of Business Economics group since 2003 His research focuses on dynamic technical and economic efficiency , sustainable performance of food supply chains , and economics of plant health . Recent work examines climate adaptation strategies, circular economy applications, and cross-border agri-food innovation dynamics using advanced econometric models. Key projects include MINDSTEP (modeling farm decisions), Closing the Loop (insect-based agriculture), and Food Pro-tec-ts (transboundary food technologies). Publications address topics like: Technical efficiency in dairy and arable farming Economic impacts of climate change on agriculture Corporate social responsibility in food manufacturing Policy evaluation for biogas and organic farming He serves as: Secretary/Treasurer of agricultural economics journal foundation Advisor to Universitas Padjadjaran (Indonesia) on policy and PhD supervision Editorial board member of Agronomy Journal and European Review of Agricultural Economics
Femke van Horen is a Full Professor of Consumer Behavior at the Marketing Department of the School of Business and Economics, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. She serves as Scientific Director of the VU Behavioural Lab and Associate Editor for the International Journal of Research in Marketing . Her research focuses on product imitation strategies, environmental uncertainty's impact on consumer decisions, and nudging for sustainability. She co-chaired the 2023 EACR Conference and was a visiting scholar at Stanford University. Education: PhD from Tilburg University (2013), followed by postdoctoral research at the University of Cologne's Social Cognition Lab. Joined VU Amsterdam in 2013. Research Interests: Product Imitation: Effectiveness of copycat strategies and brand evaluation dynamics. Environmental Uncertainty: Consumer decision-making during crises or elections. Sustainability Nudging: Behavioral methods to promote eco-friendly actions. Awards & Grants: AMA Research in Practice Award 2019 (for Out-of-Category Brand Imitation ). IJRM Outstanding Reviewer Award 2023. Grants from ACR/Sheth Foundation, University of Cologne, and others. Advising: Co-supervises two PhD students on sustainability and product imitation, and a postdoc on plant-based meat adoption. Labs & Teams: Leads the VU Behavioural Lab, focusing on interdisciplinary consumer research.
Prof. Iris F.A. Vis is a Professor of Industrial Engineering at the University of Groningen's Faculty of Economics and Business. She specializes in logistics and operations management, focusing on optimizing processes through quantitative and qualitative methods. Her work intersects logistics with sectors like healthcare, education, and energy. She leads major projects such as SMiLES (sustainable mobility-logistics integration) and designs logistics solutions for personalized learning systems in schools. She has advised over a dozen PhD students and collaborates with industry partners globally. Awards include Fellowship in the Netherlands Academy of Engineering. Education: M.Sc. Mathematics (Leiden University), PhD in Operations Management (Erasmus University Rotterdam) Roles: Captain of Science for Topsector Logistics, Member of multiple national advisory boards Research interests span sustainable transportation networks, port optimization, healthcare logistics, and educational logistics. Key projects include LNG supply chain design, offshore wind farm maintenance planning, and synchromodal transport networks. Over 45 peer-reviewed publications and 18 media engagements highlight her impactful contributions. Teaching includes courses on supply chain network design, technology-enabled innovation, and operations management at all academic levels. She advises on industrial partnerships and digital transformation initiatives in the Northern Netherlands region.
Kees van Veen is an Associate Professor at the University of Groningen, affiliated with the Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences and the Department of Sociology. His expertise spans Corporate Governance , Policy Evaluation , and Sustainable Food Systems , with significant contributions to International Business & Management and Social Psychology during the pandemic. Education : MSc in Sociology (cum laude) from the University of Groningen. Research Focus : Interdisciplinary work bridging organizational behavior, prosociality, and global health behaviors, leveraging machine learning for cross-national pandemic analysis. His recent publications analyze prosocial behavior , conspiracy beliefs , and lockdown psychology through multi-country longitudinal data, emphasizing UN Sustainable Development Goals . He supervises MSc theses in Business Administration and Sociology and collaborates on open datasets like PsyCorona .
Prof. Jacco Wielhouwer is a Full Professor of Economics of Accounting and Tax at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (since 2013), holding dual appointments in the School of Business and Economics and the Amsterdam Business Research Institute. He earned his PhD in Operations Research from Tilburg University in 2002. His research focuses on taxation, regulatory compliance, disclosure strategies, and trust in financial markets. He also serves as academic director of the postgraduate Compliance and Integrity Management program (since 2021). Teaching responsibilities include Master courses in Financial Accounting Theory and Profit Taxation, Bachelor Accounting courses, and Executive Education programs at Duisenberg School of Finance and TiasNimbas. His editorial roles include membership on the European Accounting Review editorial board since 2016. Awards include the 2020 Best Reviewer Award from the European Accounting Review. Research themes emphasize tax compliance dynamics, regulatory enforcement, and the interplay between corporate strategy and taxation. Recent work explores distrust effects on compliance, reputational costs of political connections, and multinational tax-tariff planning. His articles span journals like the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, Journal of Accounting & Economics, and Regulation and Governance. Professional experience includes senior roles in the financial industry (ING) and regulation (AFM), alongside part-time academic engagement. His datasets and media contributions demonstrate impact on policy discussions around tax strategies, import tariffs, and financial crime prevention.
Prof. Miranda Meuwissen is a Professor of Risk Management and Resilience in Agri-Food Systems at Wageningen University, Netherlands. She specializes in financial management, agricultural insurance, and resilience frameworks for farming systems. Her work focuses on sustainable transitions, climate resilience, and policy design for agricultural systems across Europe and beyond. Education: PhD in 'Insurance as a risk management tool for European Agriculture' (1995-2000). Previous roles include Associate/Assistant Professor positions at Wageningen (2005-2017), and senior researcher roles in agricultural risk management. She coordinates major initiatives such as the EU-funded SURE-Farm project (2017-2021), exploring sustainable and resilient farming systems, and the 4TU-Redesign initiative designing future food systems. Research Interests: Development of resilience assessment frameworks, risk management strategies in agriculture, financing sustainable transitions, and exploring synergies between production efficiency, environmental sustainability, and socio-economic resilience. Notable contributions include frameworks for resilience measurement in farming systems and analysis of pandemic impacts on agricultural resilience. Grants & Leadership: Coordinator of H2020 SURE-Farm (€6.5M+), 4TU-Redesign (2023-2028), and WUR-SSG system transition team (2022-2024). Organizes international seminars on sustainable transitions and annually coordinates the PhD Summer School on Risk Management in Agriculture. Key Projects: Participatory impact assessments of farming systems resilience, analysis of soil quality economic value, and innovative financing models for aquaculture. Her work bridges academic research with policy through collaborations with institutions like IAMO and 4TU Alliance.
Michel Mandjes is a Professor at the University of Amsterdam's Faculty of Science and holds a Visiting Professor position at the Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB). His research focuses on stochastic processes, queueing theory, and probability theory, with applications in risk modeling, network analysis, and operations research. Recent publications highlight his contributions to multivariate Hawkes processes , Lévy-driven systems , and dynamic random graphs , emphasizing large deviations, rare event simulation, and statistical inference. His work bridges theoretical probability with practical challenges in traffic flow, financial risk, and social network modeling. The trends in his research include the development of stochastic models for network stability, appointment scheduling optimization, and inference techniques for non-stationary processes. His methodological innovations often leverage advanced probability theory and queueing frameworks to address real-world problems in transportation, healthcare, and finance.
Prof. Philip Joos is a Full Professor of Accounting at Tilburg University's Tilburg School of Economics and Management (TiSEM) and academic director of the Tilburg Institute for Private Debt since 2020. He is affiliated with the TIAS Finance LAB and previously served as vice dean education (2013-2018), academic dean of TIAS School for Business & Society (2010-2013), and Research Coordinator of CentER's Accounting Research Group until 2010. Prior to Tilburg, he held professorships at the University of Rochester's Simon School of Business. His academic credentials include a Business Economics degree from Ghent University, Master of Science in Finance from Vlerick School of Management, and Master in Statistics/PhD in Accounting from Stanford University. Doctoral work focused on earnings prediction, equity valuation in biotech/pharmaceuticals, and real options modeling using R&D metrics. Research centers on empirical financial accounting with sustained expertise in corporate governance, CSR, capital markets, and ESG reporting. Key contributions examine default risk in IPOs, IFRS adoption effects across Europe, and sustainable investment frameworks. Current projects analyze economic impacts of ESG disclosures, bridging accounting theory with finance and business strategy. Recent publications reveal evolving focus from traditional financial reporting (e.g., stock option disclosures, IFRS impacts) toward sustainability-driven topics like ESG performance during crises and pharmaceutical R&D valuation. Work consistently intersects capital markets, corporate strategy, and regulatory frameworks across Accounting, Finance, and Business journals. Scientific recognition includes: TIAS Best Teacher Award (December 2009) TIAS Best Teacher Award (June 2018) He teaches PhD-level courses in TiSEM's Research Master program, MSc financial accounting theory, and executive programs at TIAS. Leadership roles encompass directing academic programs and shaping global accounting education through the European Accounting Association (EAA), where he served as President (2017-2019) and founded initiatives supporting young scholars. Core affiliations include the TIAS Finance LAB and Tilburg Institute for Private Debt, which he established to study non-bank lending markets. His EAA presidency and chairmanship of the Education Committee since 2019 demonstrate active influence in accounting education innovation and international scholarly networks.
Chen Zhou is a Full Professor of Mathematical Statistics and Risk Management at the Econometric Institute, Erasmus School of Economics, Erasmus University Rotterdam. He is a member of the Research Advisory Committee of Erasmus School of Economics and actively contributes to academic leadership and research governance. His research focuses on extreme value statistics and financial risk management , with significant contributions to the theoretical and applied understanding of extreme events in financial and statistical contexts. His work bridges mathematical rigor with practical applications in finance and econometrics. The recent publications highlight a strong trend in advancing methodologies for extreme value estimation, including bootstrapping techniques, tail copula modeling, dimension reduction for extremes, and semi-supervised frameworks. These works are published in high-impact journals such as the Journal of the American Statistical Association , Bernoulli , and the Journal of Finance , indicating broad disciplinary relevance across statistics, econometrics, and finance. Editorial work: Editor, Extremes (since 2015) He teaches in the Bachelor program of Econometrics and Management Science and the MSc program in Quantitative Finance, and is affiliated with the Tinbergen Institute. He has supervised multiple doctoral students, reflecting his active role in academic mentorship and research training. Chen Zhou leads a research network focused on extreme value theory, systemic risk, and statistical inference, collaborating with leading scholars in the field. His work continues to shape methodological developments in the analysis of rare and high-impact events.
Sander Muns is a Researcher at Tilburg University's Economics Department within the Tinbergen Institute . His work focuses on pension economics, labor economics, and welfare economics, with significant contributions to understanding pension risk allocations, demographic challenges, and wealth redistribution mechanisms in the Netherlands context. Expertise: Pension systems, life-cycle consumption, capital market impacts, and population dynamics External Roles: Researcher at SCP (Social Cultural Planning Office) since 2023 Key Collaborations: Interdisciplinary work with actuarial scientists, social policy experts, and public finance researchers Muns' research explores how pension systems can achieve Pareto-optimal risk allocations and how population decline affects labor markets and welfare policy. His work has been cited in Dutch policy discussions and academic journals. Current projects examine home equity utilization for retirement consumption smoothing and demographic shifts' implications on social security systems. His research output spans from 2007 to 2025 with particular activity in recent years.
Jan C. Fransoo is a Full Professor of Operations and Logistics Management at Tilburg University's School of Economics and Management, with visiting appointments at Eindhoven University of Technology and MIT. His research advances supply chain decision-making in retail, transport, and sustainable logistics. Education: PhD in Operations Management & Logistics (Eindhoven University of Technology) MSc in Industrial Engineering Research Focus: Fransoo's work addresses global supply chain challenges: Retail distribution in emerging megacities (nanostores) Intermodal container transport optimization Sustainability and social responsibility in supply chains Logistics for developing economies Methodologies combine empirical analysis, mathematical modeling, and field studies. Publication Trends: Recent research focuses on distribution channel strategies in emerging economies and sustainable logistics. Earlier work established foundational models for container logistics and supply chain resilience. Awards: Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences Fellowship (post-PhD) Advising & Research Leadership: Supervises PhD candidates in logistics and supply chain management. Founded the MSc in Operations Management & Logistics at TU/e. Served as academic member of the Strategic Platform for Logistics setting national research agendas. Grants & Projects: Led the €3M ULTIMATE project (2010-2014) on efficient multimodal hinterland networks. Consultant to World Bank and national governments on logistics policy. Laboratories & Teams: Directs research on sustainable supply chains and global logistics systems. Collaborates with Tsinghua University, MIT, and industry partners worldwide.
Prof. Peeter Verlegh is a Full Professor of Marketing and Head of the Marketing Department at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU). He holds a PhD (2001) and MSc in Food Science from Wageningen University. Previously, he served at Erasmus University Rotterdam and the University of Amsterdam. He has held visiting roles at the University of Colorado-Boulder and lectured internationally. His research focuses on consumer responses to branding, marketing communications, and social interactions (e.g., social media and word of mouth), emphasizing practical business applications. He edits top journals like Journal of Consumer Research and International Journal of Research in Marketing . Key research interests include brand engagement authenticity, social media impact, and consumer resistance to advertising. Notable contributions include meta-analyses on social media effects and front-of-package labeling. He has received awards, including the 2015 Best IJA Paper Award. Teaching includes Branding & Advertising (MSc) and Consumer Marketing (Part-Time MSc). His work aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals, addressing responsible business practices. Recent projects include studies on music’s value and online booking barriers. He actively participates in international conferences and editorial roles. Awards: Best IJA Paper (2015), ICORIA Conference Best Paper (2017), AMS Sheth Finalist (2021) Grants: Behavioral intervention research, consumer behavior measurement tools Collaborations: Global research on marketing psychology and consumer behavior Labs/Teams: Leads the Marketing Department’s research initiatives at VU’s School of Business and Economics. Engages in interdisciplinary projects on consumer engagement and brand activism.
