Tell us about your work

'Working with students in teaching and research is one of the most critical moments for creating an impact. I never thought about this when I started working at the university, but by now, former students of mine work in so many different jobs and often have influential positions. When I meet them, they tell me that their study has a lasting influence on their work. As sociologists, we try to have an impact by bringing a different perspective to a seemingly obvious problem and share research based on this different perspective. As my former teacher Joop Goudsblom used to say in Dutch: “sociologie is een vorm van betweterij”.

I work on several research projects that address, for example, citizens' participation or health problems. We use participatory methods to co-create new policy ideas, for example. More specifically, we have developed a method to involve citizens in research for policy-making. Based on this method, we have built a digital tool – PANEL.NL – which enhances citizens' participation.'

What is your motivation?

'To be honest, I am driven by curiosity rather than by a desire to change the world, even though my curiosity is mostly about societal problems. That said, to change the world you need to first understand how it works. In this regard, sociology has a big role to play since very often, societal problems have different origins than we might think.'

Your vision

'We live in times of strong claims and heated conflicts, and more seems yet to come. In that context, I want to bring a more modest, nuanced, and informed position to the fore, help students to develop this, and support research and interventions that build on this. It is rather difficult to pinpoint how and where societal change starts. It is likely, though, that we need pressure on different levels, big and small and in different parts of life at the same time.'

Supporting factors

'I am happy with the support I get from the UvA, colleagues, students, funding organizations, and collaborating organizations. However, the way we work at this moment favors impact in areas that are already well-defined (certain health problems, for example) and are already receiving a lot of attention and money. I think we should revive the idea to research and try to make an impact, especially in areas that receive less attention and money. We might revive the idea of a science shop, where we offer our research time to non-profits and citizens who lack a budget.'