What do you do at VU and how long do you work there?
I work as a Postdoc researcher in the Athena Institute since January 2023. In this position, I work in the Community Service Learning (CSL) team to foster collaborations between VU courses and community initiatives, organized around topics of sustainability (e.g. food and energy transitions), with the intention to enhance engaged and transdisciplinary education at the VU. In my role I simultaneously research processes and implications around these collaborations, for example, how education can be used to address "real life" complex societal challenges.
Before, I also had a postdoc position in the Environmental Geography group at IVM, starting in February 2022.
What is the best thing about working at the Faculty of Science?
The diversity always surprises me! I consider myself a hard-core social scientist, largely working with qualitative methods. However, as evidenced in the Athena Institute (focused on transdisciplinary research) and IVM, the Beta faculty also encompasses many more interdisciplinary research approaches.
What could be better at the faculty?
Not so much faculty-wide, but rather in all of academia in the Netherlands, is the challenge of short-term/temporary contracts, especially for postdoc researchers. Providing more support and training to temporary staff, for example how to apply for jobs outside of academia, could be a start. I've seen some courses offered by the VU but these are usually quite expensive and over many weeks (so, being able to join each session is usually not possible).
Do you have a work tip for colleagues
The botanical garden is always worth a visit, if you're looking to get some fresh air in your workday.
What do you recommend colleagues do, see, read or listen to?
With the sunny spring days coming up, I recommend loading up on the vitamin D! There are lots of cute villages within biking distance of Amsterdam, such as Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, Durgerdam, and Ransdorp. You can use the Fietsknoppuntplanner (from ANWB) to plan a nice biking route through the countryside.
To whom are you handing over the baton?
I would like to suggest Heidi Mendoza. We never worked closely together, but I was always inspired by Heidi's energy. Also, in her endeavors outside of work, in writing poetry and short stories.
Dilemma’s
Are you beta or alpha?
Oooh, alfa if I had to choose (though actually gamma!)
Lift or stairs?
Lift going up, stairs going down.
What is your favourite university snack?
Not so much a "snack" but I'm a soup person, especially in the wintertime. The soup in the NU building cafe is always a nice addition to spice up an otherwise uninspiring cheese sandwich lunch.
What do you think is the most beautiful VU building?
Definitely the main building. So iconic.