About

After working as a research assistant at the Political Science department of the University of Antwerp for one and a half year, I started my own PhD in 2016. My research focuses on the interplay between interest group politics, public opinion and public policy. Key questions I am examining are when and how interest groups strengthen or weaken the connection between citizens’ policy preferences and public policy outcomes. I am proficient in news and legislative content analyses and survey research for statistical analysis purposes (R and STATA). On the 25th of February 2021, I publicly defended my dissertation. Currently, I am further developing my research agenda as an FWO junior postdoctoral fellow.

I am an active member of the ECPR Standing Group on Interest Groups and regularly participate in activities organized by the network of interest group scholars in the Low Countries.

Highlights of international activities

  • Co-convenor, together with Tom Willaert (Vrije Universiteit Brussel), Diliara Valeeva (Universiteit van Amsterdam), and Frederik Heylen (Datamarinier) of the workshop ‘Digital Political Science: Bringing computational data gathering and analysis techniques to political science’ at the 2023 Annual Political Science Workshops of the Low Countries
  • Co-chair, together with Daniel Rasch (FernUniversität in Hagen), of the 2021 ECPR General Conference section ‘The Times They are A-Changin’: Interest Groups and Lobbying in Times of Societal and Political Change’, endorsed by the Standing Group on Interest Groups
  • Co-convenor, together with Moritz Müller, Caelesta Braun (Leiden University) and Sharon Belli (University of Antwerp) of the workshop ‘Organized interests and the public interest: an imperfect relationship?’ at the 2019 Annual Political Science Workshops of the Low Countries

Teaching

  • Lecturer Political Science (‘Politicologie’) (2022-2023), Bachelor of Laws – University of Antwerp
  • Coaching close-reading sessions Issues in International Relations (2020-2022), Bachelor in Political Science – University of Antwerp

Other activities:

  • Guest lecturer Lobbying in the European Union (2020 & 2022), European Public Affairs Master – Maastricht University
  • Guest lecturer Interest Representation in the EU (2021), Master in European Studies & Master in Political Science – Université Libre de Bruxelles
  • Guest lecturer Seminar on Lobbying & Interest Group Politics (2018-2019 & 2022), Master in Political Science – University of Antwerp
  • Guest lecturer Political Actors & Behavior (2019-2021), Bachelor in Political Science – University of Antwerp
  • Debate moderator European Integration (2015-2019), Bachelor in Political Science – University of Antwerp
  • Student supervisor EUROSIM (2020), Master in Political Science – University of Antwerp

Thesis supervision

Currently, I supervise several master’s theses in the political science programs of my department.

During the academic year 2020-2021, I co-supervised bachelor theses (group work) with Prof. dr. Jan Beyers in the Political Science program of my department. In addition, I also supervised four master’s theses in the Comparative Politics program of Radboud University, Nijmegen.

Professional research experience

  • March 2021 – present: Post-doctoral researcher (FWO financed since 01/10/2021) – Department of Political Science, University of Antwerp
  • January 2016 – February 2021: PhD Candidate – Department of Political Science, University of Antwerp
  • July 2014 – December 2015: Research assistant – Department of Political Science, University of Antwerp

Education

  • 2013-2014: Master in Political Science (distinction), University of Antwerp
  • 2010-2013: Bachelor of Science in Political Science (distinction), University of Antwerp

Here, you can download my CV.