I am an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management in Delft University of Technology. I lead the Computational Urban Science and Policy research lab at the department of Multi-Actor Systems. I am in the advisory team of the TPM AI Lab and also an active member of the Dutch Network Science community and the 4TU Centre for Resilience Engineering.
My research focuses on understanding the fundamental processes that drive, shape and sustain cities. In our group, we investigate the role of large amounts of urban data to understand the complex inter-relationships between social, political, economic and environmental processes. I am particularly interested in the design of methods that facilitate a clear path for cities to address some of the major challenges of equity and sustainability of our society. Through my research, I have discovered that most systems have a tendency to form a core-periphery network that brings an imbalance in the distribution of resources in society. My research and education thus concentrate on understanding and facilitating the design of urban spaces through the lens of social cohesion and inclusion.
I also instruct on remote expeditions for National Geographic where high school students have the opportunity to learn about conservation, anthropology, engineering and policy. Previously, I helped build a media and technology startup dedicated to the cause of making this planet a healthier place through authentic journalism and data science at The Outdoor Journal.
I have been collaborating with members of the 4TU Resilience Engineering Centre since its start and believe this centre is instrumental in bringing multiple schools of thought in one place to address one common goal: making our society more resilient.