Social research for transformation toward sustainability

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I am Associate Professor of Social Change for Sustainability in the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development at Utrecht University, the Netherlands.

I conduct research on socioecological change in modern societies. I am interested in the social-, cultural- and political-ecological (i) conditions, (ii) mechanisms, and (iii) consequences of sustainability transformations. Specifically, I am primarily interested in grassroots and community-led transformations towards social and economic models that, not depending on perpetual economic growth, aim to sustain human wellbeing and the ecological basis of life. My research has a geographical focus on Europe and Latin America (especially Colombia). Thematically, I am interested in food systems and the climate crisis.

As a scholar, teacher and colleague, I am driven by curiosity and a deep sense of responsibility towards the common good. I am committed to leaving a mark: to contribute to sustainability transformation and to support it in the social spaces where it may be happening. As a heterodox thinker who defies labels. I cherish my diverse disciplinary background and international profile. I am ambitious but self-critical and take colleagues’ and students’ feedback seriously. I am a collegial colleague and a supportive, responsible, care-full teacher. I am loyal, but constructively critical in view of my own and my colleagues’ professional development and students’ empowerment.

This website contains information on my research, teaching and academic service, and gives access to my scientific publications and public outreach.