Anna Grigolon is an Assistant Professor at the University of Twente , Netherlands, affiliated with the Transport Engineering and Management Research Group . Her research focuses on sustainable urban mobility , user-centric transport solutions , and travel behavior analysis using tools like discrete choice modeling , spatial analysis , and social psychology theories . Research Interests : Sustainable Urban Mobility Accessibility Modeling Travel Behavior Discrete Choice and Latent Class Modeling Spatial Analysis and GIS Shared Micromobility and Mobility Hubs Equity in Transport Planning Article Trends : Anna’s recent work (2025–2024) emphasizes mobility justice , 15-minute city transitions, and equity in transport access , particularly for marginalized communities like São Paulo favelas. She integrates digital tools (e.g., serious games, kiosks) and space-time metrics to evaluate mobility solutions. Projects : She currently leads the SmartHubs project and contributes to DREAMS and R-map , focusing on smart, equitable mobility systems in Europe and Saudi Arabia.
Prof. Massimo Poesio holds dual appointments as a full Professor of Natural Language Understanding at Utrecht University and Professor of Computational Linguistics at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL). He leads the Natural Language Processing Group at Utrecht and is part of QMUL's Cognitive Science and Games & AI research groups. His research focuses on computational linguistics, anaphora resolution, and Games-with-a-Purpose platforms like Phrase Detectives and Lingotowns. Current projects include the NWO-funded 'Dealing with Meaning Variation in NLP' and the EPSRC-funded ARCIDUCA project. Research areas span dialogue semantics, deception detection, and Arabic NLP. He supervises PhD programs at IGGI (Intelligent Games & Game Intelligence) and the Wellcome Trust's Health Data in Practice initiative. Ancillary roles include Turing Institute Fellowship and collaborations with institutions like the University of Trento and the Human Rights, Big Data and Technology Project.
Dr. Pieter van Oel is an Associate Professor in the Water Resources Management group at Wageningen University & Research, focusing on sociohydrology and addressing water crises in South America and Africa. His expertise spans civil/hydraulic engineering, environmental management, hydrology, irrigation systems, and drought diagnosis. He teaches courses like Design in Land and Water Management and supervises PhD students such as Louise Cavalcante and Daniel Wiegant. His research emphasizes societal dimensions of water challenges, including drought impacts, agent-based modeling, and serious gaming for community engagement. Projects include analyzing drought policies in Brazil, improving water governance in Kenya, and evaluating groundwater vulnerability in Ethiopia. He collaborates on initiatives like the Diagnosing Drought project and Socio-hydrological Simulation tool development. Key contributions include critiques of drought monitoring systems' alignment with local realities and frameworks for sustainable agroforestry management. His work bridges science and policy, advocating for interdisciplinary solutions to water scarcity and climate resilience.
Prof. Emiel Krahmer is a Professor at the Department of Communication and Cognition, Tilburg School of Humanities and Digital Sciences (TSHD), Tilburg University. His research focuses on healthcare communication, digital health technologies, and patient-centered approaches. He explores barriers/facilitators in return-to-work strategies for trauma patients, personalized predictions in rehabilitation, and the role of serious games in health behavior change. His work also addresses ethical challenges in self-monitoring platforms for mental health, emphasizing epistemic justice and algorithmic fairness. Collaborations with medical professionals and interdisciplinary teams highlight his contributions to digital health innovation. Key projects include studies on trauma patient perspectives, implementation of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), and game-based interventions. His research bridges communication science and clinical practice, aiming to enhance patient engagement and equitable healthcare delivery through technology.
Valentijn Visch is a researcher and academic at Delft University of Technology's Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, specializing in Human-Centered Design and Society, Culture, and Critique. His work focuses on eHealth interventions, gamification in healthcare, and reducing health-related stigmas through innovative design solutions. He teaches courses such as 'eHealth Design for a Healthy Society' and 'Understanding Humans,' emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches to healthcare challenges. His research projects include developing embodied coaches for stroke rehabilitation, AI-driven healthcare decision-making frameworks, and inclusive eHealth tools for low socioeconomic populations. He has been recognized with awards like the Rehabilitation Year Award 2024 for his work on cardiac rehabilitation interventions and a CHI 2024 Best Paper Honourable Mention for studies on patient preferences in AI autonomy. Visch collaborates on initiatives like the 'Emotion Aware Car Seat' project, exploring human-technology interaction. His work bridges academic research with real-world applications, addressing gaps in healthcare accessibility and patient empowerment through technology.
Geert Dewulf is a Professor at the University of Twente, specializing in project governance, public-private partnerships (PPPs), and healthcare decision-making. His research focuses on strategic decision support systems, uncertainty management in healthcare organizations, and adaptive governance frameworks. He has contributed to over 215 publications and supervised 21 students. Key areas of expertise include infrastructure development, construction management, and institutional logics in extended enterprises. Research interests span dynamic decision-making models, stakeholder network dynamics, and the integration of real options and scenario planning in strategic management. He has received awards such as the Best Paper at the 14th Engineering Project Organization Conference and recognition for contributions to community-engaged research in construction management. Education: Not explicitly stated in the provided text. Affiliations: Member of the VISICO Center at the University of Twente, engaged in editorial roles for journals like Engineering Project Organization Journal. Labs/Teams: Associated with interdisciplinary teams focused on healthcare infrastructure and PPP governance. His work addresses challenges in healthcare asset management, resilient infrastructure planning, and fostering collaboration in complex projects. Recent contributions include frameworks for adaptive decision support and serious games for reflecting on partnership dynamics in concessions.
Roles & Affiliations: Teresa De La Hera is an Assistant Professor of Persuasive Gaming at Erasmus University, affiliated with the Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication and the Department of Media and Communication. She is a member of the Erasmus Research Centre for Media, Communication and Culture, actively involved in the Gaming Matters research cluster and ERMeCC initiatives like REACT (Responsible Engagement with AI, Culture, and Technology) and VEGAS (Virtual Environments, Games and Society). Education: She holds dual BAs in Journalism (Digital Journalism track) and Audiovisual Communication (Direction and Screenplay track), an MA in Communication and Advertising, and a PhD in Media Studies from Utrecht University (2011–2013). Her PhD thesis, Persuasive Structures in Advergames , won the Best Academic Work award from the Consell de l’Audiovisual de Catalunya (2013). Research: Her work focuses on digital games as tools for communication, persuasion, and intercultural interaction. Key projects include Digital Literacy Games (funded) and an ice-skating game fostering intercultural dialogue. She explores topics like advergames, serious games, and gaming’s role in education and social issues (e.g., racism in sports). Her research bridges media studies, sociology, and educational technology. Awards & Recognition: Her 2013 PhD thesis was honored as the best academic work in media studies by the Consell de l’Audiovisual de Catalunya. She has authored/co-authored over 58 peer-reviewed publications, including books like Digital Gaming and the Advertising Landscape (2019) and Persuasive Gaming in Context (2021, editor). Teaching & Outreach: She teaches in Erasmus’ International Bachelor's in Communication and Media (IBCoM) and the MA Media and Business programs. She actively engages in public discourse, appearing in media like podcasts discussing health-related gaming (e.g., Videojuegos para la salud , 2017) and contributing to policy discussions on digital literacy. Labs & Collaborations: She leads research on digital literacy games and collaborates internationally on projects like Chinese cultural heritage in mobile games. Her work intersects with NWO-funded initiatives and involves partnerships with institutions like the University of Amsterdam and Utrecht University.
Dr. Erika Speelman is an Associate Professor at the Laboratory of Geo-information Science and Remote Sensing within Wageningen University. She holds MSc and PhD degrees from Wageningen University, specializing in tropical agronomy. Her research focuses on developing simulation and gaming tools to enhance stakeholder collaboration in addressing socio-ecological challenges, particularly in the Global South. She leads the INREF SESAM programme (2020-2025), supervising 15 PhD candidates and 2 PostDocs, and coordinates MSc courses in geo-information science and interdisciplinary research methods. Her work spans agroforestry, water governance, and participatory tools for sustainable landscape management. Dr. Speelman has extensive experience collaborating with NGOs, UN agencies, and academic institutions across Asia, Latin America, and Africa. Her research emphasizes boundary objects like serious games to bridge stakeholder perspectives in contested landscapes. Recent projects include exploring water management in Kenya’s Ewaso Ng’iro Basin and land use dynamics in Peru’s Amazon. She teaches courses on spatial modeling, remote sensing integration, and geo-information science in socio-ecological contexts. Her international collaborations reflect a commitment to global sustainability challenges, integrating technical tools with community-driven solutions. Dr. Speelman’s lab is part of the Environmental Sciences group at Wageningen, fostering interdisciplinary approaches to complex environmental problems. She advocates for inclusive landscape governance through participatory tools, aiming to enhance resilience among smallholder farmers and marginalized communities. Her work combines academic rigor with practical impact, addressing issues like climate change, biodiversity loss, and equitable resource distribution.
Elisabeth Huis in 't Veld is an Assistant Professor at Tilburg University's Department of Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence, part of the Tilburg School of Humanities and Digital Sciences. She also serves as Group Leader for Donor Cognition at Sanquin in Amsterdam and co-founded AINAR B.V., a company focused on AI applications in healthcare (https://www.ainar.io). Her research spans cognitive neuroscience, medical psychology, and AI-driven solutions for health challenges. Key interests include vasovagal reactions during needle procedures, serious games for decision-making studies, and blood donor behavior analysis. Recent projects include developing predictive models for vasovagal responses using facial analysis and creating the 'Sustainable Port' serious game to study expert decision-making in port management scenarios. Publications highlight interdisciplinary work, blending AI techniques (e.g., CNNs, time-series classification) with clinical and behavioral insights. Her work addresses real-world challenges in healthcare, donor recruitment, and game-based training systems. Professional affiliations include leadership roles in academic and industry collaborations, emphasizing translational research between cognitive science and practical health applications.
Loes Keijsers is a Full Professor in Clinical Child and Family Studies at the Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Erasmus University Rotterdam. Her work focuses on adolescent development, parent-adolescent relationships, and the application of advanced methodological approaches such as Experience Sampling Methods to study daily emotional and behavioral dynamics in teens. Her research interests include: Clinical Child and Family Studies Adolescent mental health and well-being Parenting dynamics and autonomy support Statistical modeling and longitudinal analysis Digital interventions and e-health tools for youth Her recent publications highlight a strong trend in using intensive longitudinal data and mobile technology to understand heterogeneity in adolescent development and family processes. She emphasizes preregistered research and robust statistical models to enhance scientific rigor. Her work increasingly integrates digital tools such as smartphone apps and serious games (e.g., the Grow It! App) to promote adolescent mental health. Notable contributions include: Developing and evaluating e-health applications for adolescent depression Advancing ecological momentary assessment in family research Translating psychological research into public impact through TEDx talks and the book Waarom tieners zo irritant kunnen zijn Contributing to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to well-being and mental health She actively supervises research and has contributed to multiple datasets in the areas of social media use, adolescent well-being, and intensive longitudinal methods. Her collaborative network spans interdisciplinary teams working on youth mental health innovation. Loes leads the research project PROJECT ADAPT (www.projectadapt.nl), which aims to develop and implement personalized digital tools to support adolescent mental health and family functioning. She is also active on social media (Twitter: EUR_ADAPT) and engages in public science communication through platforms like TEDx and Universiteit van Nederland.
Sander Bakkes is an Assistant Professor and Game Researcher at the Faculty of Science, Utrecht University. He specializes in developing personalized games and interventions for healthcare and education, leveraging adaptive AI and game design principles. His work focuses on improving user engagement and intervention effectiveness through tailored game mechanics. Research Themes: Dynamics of Youth, Human-Centered AI, Serious Games Key Projects: HUB 'Playing = Growing Up Healthy', games for children with chronic illnesses, crisis management training tools Research Interests: Game-based learning, AI-driven game adaptation, and the psychological impact of games on health and behavior. His studies explore how play can enhance coping mechanisms for youth with chronic conditions and improve social integration. Publications span gamification, player experience modeling, and serious games, with contributions to conferences like FDG and GALA. He teaches courses on Game Design and Gamification, and actively collaborates with interdisciplinary teams in healthcare and AI.
Dr. Raoul Bongers is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Groningen, affiliated with the SMART Movements research group. His expertise focuses on action-perception learning, motor control, and rehabilitation technologies, particularly in upper limb prosthetics and serious game applications for prosthesis training. He investigates motor variability and coordination dynamics using advanced methodologies like Uncontrolled Manifold analysis and multifractal analyses. His research emphasizes the development of clinical tools such as IMU-based calibration algorithms and virtual reality environments to improve prosthetic control and rehabilitation outcomes. Collaborations span biomechanics, neuroscience, and medical engineering, addressing challenges in prosthetic design, user adaptation, and clinical assessment. Bongers has contributed to over 139 publications, with recent work exploring task-specific serious game training, IMU sensor calibration reliability, and motor learning dynamics in novel control tasks. His work aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals related to health and innovation. Professional activities include keynote lectures on motor control and participation in interdisciplinary research networks. Laboratory affiliations include SMART Movements, where research integrates ecological psychology and dynamical systems theory to advance rehabilitation technologies and motor learning understanding.
Jessika Weber-Sabil is a Professor specializing in Digital Transformation in Cultural Tourism at Breda University of Applied Sciences. Her research focuses on leveraging immersive technologies, serious gaming, and stakeholder collaboration to address challenges in cultural and urban tourism. She holds a Doctoral degree from Breda University of Applied Sciences, completing her thesis on location-based augmented reality games in 2017. Research Interests Her work spans Digital Transformation, Cultural Tourism, and Sustainable Tourism Development. She explores how augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and serious games can enhance visitor experiences, foster stakeholder engagement, and support urban tourism planning. Key themes include participatory urban design, technology adoption in heritage preservation, and collaborative approaches to sustainable tourism governance. Key Projects - DigiTourism: Advancing policies for immersive technologies in tourism. - SCITHOS: A serious game promoting sustainable smart city hospitality. - Research on stakeholder involvement in digital cultural heritage tourism. Grants & Collaborations Her contributions include EU-funded projects (e.g., Gaming Horizons) and collaborations with institutions like the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia. She has authored/co-authored over 30 publications, emphasizing practical applications of technology in tourism and urban planning. Labs & Teams Affiliated with Breda UAS’s Digital Realities and Tourism Innovation teams, she leads initiatives in immersive tech experimentation and participatory tourism design.
Dr. Michal Klincewicz is an Assistant Professor at Tilburg University's Department of Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence, affiliated with the Tilburg School of Humanities and Digital Sciences. He also holds a part-time position as an Assistant Professor at Jagiellonian University. His research focuses on AI ethics, cognitive science, and the intersection of video games with well-being and decision-making. Klincewicz completed his PhD in Philosophy at the CUNY Graduate Center and conducted postdoctoral research at the Berlin School of Mind and Brain. His work addresses ethical challenges in AI applications, including mental healthcare chatbots, generative AI's societal impacts, and consciousness theories. He leads projects like 'Moral Video Games Collaboration' and 'Understanding the associations between online video games and well-being.' Klincewicz is also involved in serious games development, such as 'The Sustainable Port,' to study real-world decision-making dynamics. Key collaborations include MindLabs and the Port of Rotterdam Authority. His research spans over 47 publications, with recent focus on AI ethics, cognitive neuroscience, and video game expertise analysis using eye-tracking and machine learning. He actively participates in conferences and networks like the Netherlands Research School for Information and Knowledge Systems (SIKS).
Aglaia Zedlitz is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Neuropsychology in the Health, Medical and Neuropsychology unit at Leiden University's Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences. She also works as a psychotherapist at G-Kracht psychomedical institute. Dr. Zedlitz received her PhD in 2013 from the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior at Radboud University Nijmegen, focusing on fatigue after acquired brain injury. She completed her post-graduate education to become a licensed psychotherapist in 2020. Her research interests focus on improving treatments for neurological disorders (particularly fatigue) and neuro-psychiatric conditions. She specializes in developing new treatment delivery formats through eHealth and serious gaming applications. Her work bridges clinical practice with empirical research to develop evidence-based interventions. Her publications demonstrate a strong focus on innovative rehabilitation approaches, particularly the integration of cognitive therapy with physical activity training for post-stroke fatigue. Her research shows how digital health solutions can be effectively implemented in neuropsychological rehabilitation. Revalidatiefonds grant (2015) for eHealth application development Johanna Kinderfonds grant (2015) for children's eHealth application Adriaanfonds grant (2015) for children's eHealth application As an educator , Dr. Zedlitz coordinates the Intervention Strategies in Clinical Neuropsychology course for MSc students and lectures in Diagnostics in Clinical Neuropsychology (MSc) and Clinical Neuropsychology (BSc). She has supervised multiple PhD candidates including Yvonne Maas, Janice Sandjojo, Miel Vugts, and John Molenaar. Her work on the eCOGRAT project represents a significant contribution to developing evidence-based treatments for fatigue after acquired brain injury, combining cognitive therapy with graded activity training.
