During the last years, Van Oudenhoven-van der Zee was conrector of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences. Mirjam van Praag, President of the Executive Board: "I would like to congratulate The Netherlands Institute for Social Research with its new director. Karen van Oudenhoven is a great director, connector, scientist and an authority in the field of diversity. We wish Karen enormous success and happiness in this role."
Karen also holds a Chair in Intercultural Competence to conduct research on managing cultural diversity in organisations. She is co-founder and chair of the Dutch initiative 'Meer Kleur aan de Top' and advises, among others, the Rijksmuseum and several departments on diversity policy.
Karen van Oudenhoven-van der Zee will start as the new director of The Netherlands Institute for Social Research on 1 October this year and is looking forward to putting her expertise to use in this new position. "It has always been my passion to use science to improve society. A lot is happening at the moment: the climate crisis, the aftermath of covid and the war in Ukraine. Knowledge from citizens' perspectives and with a solid scientific base can help make policy choices that prevent people get left out or that social inequality increases. Equally important is that this knowledge can contribute to policies that better connect with people's lives and thus make a difference in their lives. The Netherlands Institute for Social Research provides this knowledge. It is therefore a great privilege for me to be able to fulfil this great role and to contribute to it with the Institute's knowledge and research."
The Netherlands Institute for Social Research states that they have found a worthy successor with the appointment of Van Oudenhoven-van der Zee. Marjolijn Olde Monnikhof, deputy director of the Institute: "I look back on the cooperation with Kim Putters with great appreciation and satisfaction. Under his leadership, the Netherlands Institute for Social Research has developed into a knowledge institute that offers insight into the quality of society and the life of citizens. With the appointment of Karen van Oudenhoven, the institute has a worthy successor. Based on her years of experience in the field of psychology and behavioural sciences and as a director, she can make an important contribution to the relevance of the Institute to policy, society and science."