‘…visualisation and spatial history are not about producing illustrations or maps to communicate things that you have discovered by other means. It is a means of doing research; it generates questions that might otherwise go unasked, it reveals historical relations that might otherwise go unnoticed, and it undermines, or substantiates, stories upon which we build our own versions of the past.’
(Richard White, 2010)

My research has always been deeply rooted in curiosity. Even in my first papers I was looking for questions that would provide new insights into the relationship between geography and history. I am also really enthusiastic about making this knowledge available to a broader public. Primarily because the preservation of (landscape) heritages is dependent on the familiarity with and the respect of a larger public. I am convinced that information and knowledge can contribute to this respect and appreciation.

PhD Candidate - 'Maritime Mindsets - Actors manoeuvring themselves into global maritime commodity chains: Coffee, Cereals and Petroleum.' History of Architecture and Urban Planning - Technical University Delft (2020-present)

Thesis supervisor - History of Architecture and Urban Planning - Technical University Delft - (2019-2020)

Thesis supervisor Cultural Heritage and Planning - Wageningen University [WUR] (2017)

Lecture European Consultancy Project - Wageningen University [WUR] (2016)

Thirty Masters students of different nationalities and disciplines carried out a consultancy project for the Planning Department of the municipality of Prague. I gave lectures about stakeholder-, policy- and data-analysis and I provided (individual) feedback on the basis of the report and the role of the students in the project.

The PortCityFutures research group is an interdisciplinary collaboration between the Technical University Delft, Erasmus University Rotterdam and Leiden University. I coordinated the monthly meetings and lectures series in 2023-2024.

Journal of Historical Geography (Dutch) [THG] (2016-present)

THG is the Dutch scientific journal for historical geography and related disciplines such as archaeology, architectural and urban history and planning. It builds on the thirty-year tradition of the former Historical Geographical Journal.

Historisch Geografische Vereniging te Utrecht [HGVU] (2013-2020)

The HGVU is the Dutch professional association for historical geography. The association was founded in 1980 and is located in Utrecht. I am responsible for the website and contribute to the lecture program and policy in a broad sense.

Atlas of Mutual Heritage [AMH] (2014-2016)

The AMH is an online academic catalogue of cartographic sources of the VOC and WIC (United East and West Indian Companies) in the former Dutch overseas territories. It is a project in which the National Archives, The National Agency for Cultural Heritage, the National Museum and the Royal Library cooperate. (2014-2016)

‘The Costs and Benefits of Microfinance’ - Universiteit Utrecht/KNAW (2010-2011)
The Costs and Benefits of Microfinance. Utrecht University/KNAW (2010-2011). The Dutch Royal Academy of Science (KNAW) initiated this interdisciplinary research project to stimulate students in their research careers. The objective was to determine to what extent microcredit had contributed to reducing poverty in the past. I prepared 1500 property inventories with 600,000 objects as input to assess the relation between microfinance and other assets.

After I decided to specialise in historical geography, I followed extra university courses in diverse and related subjects. Here you can download a complete overview of the academic courses I took and the subjects of my papers. The most important parts of my study were:

• Research Master Landscape History – University of Groningen (2013);
• Bachelor of History – Utrecht University (2010);
• Minor Archaeology and Landscape – Utrecht University (2010);
• Various courses Master Cultural Heritage – Vrije Universiteit (2011-2012);
• Bachelor thesis: Our daily bread, global production, local consumption About the long-term effects of globalisation on local choices in the bread making process (2010);
• First year in architecture – The Hague University of Applied Sciences (2004-2005).

Doctorate program:

• Writing a Scientific Article in English - TU Delft (2019)
• Writing for Scientific Publication – Utrecht University (2013);

Here you can find the full overview of all my university courses and paper subjects.

Here you can find a selection of Graduate School Courses I followed at the Technical University Delft.

Advisory Commission "Quality of the Living Environment" - Province of Utrecht [PCL] (2016-2017)

This Commission provides advice – whether asked for or not - to the provincial governance of Utrecht about subjects relating to the quality of the living environment. As a young researcher I contributed to two themes. On the one hand the future of peat pasture areas in the context of continuous land subsidence. This advice was put into film. I also contributed to a report regarding the challenge of building vacancies. My personal position was: He who does not know his past cannot chose for a sustainable future.

UNESCO – workgroup Netherlands Youth Council [NJR] (2014-2016)

As a member of the UNESCO NJR workgroup I supported UNESCO youth representatives. The objective was to increase awareness about UNESCO amongst young people and to give them a voice in important themes such as heritage. For the high school game I developed a question about how Aboriginals dealt with their landscape as a way of illustrating the importance of (im)material heritage.

Academic Supervisory Commission Veritas history

In the Aeterna Veritas project, the history of this student union was investigated. My participation was motivated by my fascinated of how the organisation functioned in the past and how “traditions” stay the same in name, while they can change considerably in content and structure.

Contribution to the Work Group Memory of the World
As an extremely modest spin-off from the NJR-UNESCO Commission, for a short period of time I contributed about developing submission indicators for digital heritage as part of the Memory of the World.

INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL ON MONUMENTS AND SITES (ICOMOS)

DUTCH SOCIETY FOR AGRICULTURAL HISTORY

CO-FOUNDER - "YOUNG LANDSCAPE HISTORIANS" (FACEBOOK)