I studied Maritime Engineering in Delft and graduated with a Master's degree in Ship Design. During my final year, I received an offer to continue with a PhD. I accepted, spending another four years in Delft conducting PhD research into the impact of automation on crew tasks and composition, and on ship design.
Having grown up mainly in the north of the country, I wanted to return there. My summer job teaching and training in sailing sparked my interest in education. I wanted my new job to combine education and research. That's how I ended up at MIWB.
What are your research interests and specialisms?
My current research builds on my doctoral work. I am particularly interested in the future of maritime shipping and how training programmes should respond to this. What skills will seafarers require in the future? We need to prepare them for this now. The seafarers of tomorrow are the students of today.
What is your role at NHL Stenden, and what are your goals and tasks?
I have been appointed as a lecturer-researcher. I work two days a week teaching mathematics and research skills at the Maritime Institute on Terschelling. I spend the other three days conducting research.
I am currently working on three major projects. The first is the OVERWATCH project. This is a young research project run by the IAMU and the NIPPON Foundation. Running for one year, this project aims to investigate the possibilities of a shore control centre (SCC) for ships. This involves controlling ships from the shore. This proof-of-concept project will examine how this can be achieved and what information a nautically trained operator would require to enable a ship to perform certain operations safely.
In the SEANERGETIC project, we focus on green propulsion on board ships. In the work package for which I am responsible, we look at the future training of technical personnel (for example, marine engineers) working on board. What knowledge and skills will they need in order to operate these new propulsion systems in the future?
The third project I have been involved in is the Professional Doctorate (PD). The PD is the university of applied sciences’ equivalent of a PhD. Our main focus here is on developing this new form of degree programme and establishing all the processes surrounding it.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I find it hard to sit still, so I play a lot of sports after work. Throughout the year, I swim, cycle and run, and in the summer I take part in triathlons combining these activities. I also regularly sail in the ILCA 6 and still teach a lot of sailing lessons and run training sessions. I also train new instructors and their supervisors. In my spare time, I enjoy building Lego sets. My house is full of constructions, particularly ships and cars.