About me

I have an academic background in International Relations, Theatre and Dance Studies, Conflict Studies and Latin American Studies (undergraduate, University of Utrecht) and International Development Studies (Masters, University of Amsterdam, Cum Laude, 2006). During and after my studies, I worked at UNICEF in the Netherlands at the communications and education/youth department. I joined the UvA in 2007 to conduct doctoral research in Bolivia (completed in 2011) and between 2011-2016 I coordinated the ‘IS-Academie’ co-funded research project of the University of Amsterdam and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I became board member of the Amsterdam Research Centre on Gender and Sexuality (ARC-GS) and Board member (2013-2016) of the Netherlands Association for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (NALACS). Exploring ways to navigate academic life in a healthier and more conscious way, I have been practicing yoga since 2006, and reiki since 2008 with Rebecca Bredenhof. I was trained as a certified Vinyasa, Meditation and Yin Yoga teacher between 2011-2012 at YogaMoves in Utrecht. 

Internationally, I conducted research in Sri Lanka, Bolivia, Aceh/Indonesia and Myanmar (for more info - see previous work). I co-founded and chaired the Conflict, Education and Emergencies SIG (Special Interest Group) of the Comparative and International Education Societies (CIES) and served on the Education Policy Working Group of the International Network for Education in Emergencies (2014-2017). I was appointed by the UN Secretary General as Advisor for the Security Council mandated Progress Study on Resolution 2250 on Youth, Peace and Security (2016-2018). I co-directed the Research Consortium on Education and Peacebuilding (2014-2016), a research partnership with UNICEF’s Peacebuilding, Education and Advocacy (PBEA) programme in five countries across thee universities, together with prof. Mario Novelli (University of Sussex), and prof. Alan Smith (University of Ulster) - I led the country study in Myanmar, and the thematic area of peacebuilding education for youth across the five country cases. Between 2013-2019, I was part of an international EU collaboration to initiate and implement an Erasmus Mundus Plus Masters programme called GLOBED, on Education Policies for Global Development. I worked as a Complex Living systems specialist and Global Learning Facilitator for the philantropic organisation Porticus in their global programme on Education in Displacement named ‘All Eyes on Learning’ (2020-2023) as part of the Tauwhirotanga team led by dr Ritesh Shah. I serve on the editorial board of the Journal of Peace Education (2019-now).

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In the Netherlands, in 2017, I was awarded with one of the first Comenius Teaching Fellowships to implement an education innovation project called Critical Development and Diversity Explorations. I co-initiated and then chaired the Comenius Network Tracé Inclusive Higher Education of the KNAW (Royal Dutch Society for Science). I was invited to initiate and chair the FRIS - Fair, Resilient and Inclusive Societies Teaching Innovation - Scholarship programme and learning community (2022-2026) and I currently lead the Developmental Learning Community Socially Engaged Education (DLC-SEE), both based at UvA's central Teaching and Learning Centre. Together with our team, we won a Teaching Award in 2025 for Collaborative Education for our co-created Bachelor course Education & Inclusive Development. I currently serve as the programme director for our one-year Master International Development Studies (IDS), and our two-year Research Master IDS with a wonderful team of colleagues. I conduct action based Research on Innovations supporting Education towards Regenerative Societies (RISERS - see Research & Innovation Projects) and I enjoy writing about these experiences (see Publications).