PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT
I am member of the State Commission against Discrimination and Racism. This is an independent advisory body and was established on May 1, 2022. The task of the State Commission is to long-term interdisciplinary research into the state of discrimination and racism in the Netherlands. The research focuses on all sectors of society, including an examination of discrimination and (algorithmic) profiling within the government. Based on the research, the State Commission will advise the Dutch government on improving policies and regulations to combat discrimination and racism.
NEMO Science Museum brings science and technology closer to the public in an interactive and accessible way, in the museum, at schools, at nationwide events and online. NEMO inspires curiosity in both young and old about the power, the importance and the special nature of science and technology. The museum attract 650,000 visitors annually, making it the fifth largest museum in the Netherlands in terms of visitor numbers.
I am member of the supervisory board of the PCOU Foundation and the Willibrord Foundation. These two foundations together manage a total of 41 elementary and secondary schools in the Utrecht area, serving over 20.000 children and 2000 teachers. My portfolio: social innovation and technological inclusion, with focus on privacy, big data, personalized learning, artificial intelligence and social diversity.
I am chairman of Stichting Boost. Boost facilitates interaction and cooperation between local residents and refugees as a means toward a fully-fledged position for refugees in Dutch. The foundation organizes , amongst other things, housing, meeting places, language classes, courses, dialogues and start-ups, all of which are focused on inclusive integration. The Foundation also researches and develops concepts for local civic integration and an inclusive society.
From 2017-2020 I was board member of Stichting Civic is committed to improving the Dutch civic integration policy for refugees and other newcomers. The foundation aims at 1) collecting and stimulating socio-scientific and legal research into the outcomes of the current policy and 2) providing proposals for better integration policy for newcomers.