Specialization
Focus of research
My research is driven by my passion for creating healthier food environments. I hold a degree in Biosystems Engineering (Human Health Engineering) from the University of Antwerp and KU Leuven, and a PhD in Applied Economic Sciences from the University of Antwerp. My PhD research explored how people make food choices and how tools like the Nutri-Score can nudge consumers towards healthier options, using a mix of methods including choice experiments, RCTs, big data analysis, and field studies. After completing my PhD, I worked as a postdoctoral researcher on the Sixpack project — a collaboration between academia and industry testing reusable beer packaging — where I combined multi-level modelling with interviews and focus groups.
Today, at the Department of Public and Occupational Health at Amsterdam UMC, I work in collaboration with the Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of Amsterdam. Together, we study business models for the healthy supermarket of the future, using systems thinking and transition science to understand how the necessary change can happen in the complex world of food retail.