We work with a team of dedicated early career academics who strive to make Utrecht University an even better organisation. We are proud to introduce our candidates for the 2021 University Council elections. You can meet our current and former councilmembers here.
Curious about our plans for the UU? See here for our party program.
Alpha/gamma district
#1 Tim de Winkel – Humanities
Tim de Winkel is a PhD candidate at Utrecht University, and has a background in Psychology and Dutch Literature, amalgamating a specialisation in the Digital Humanities and Critical Data Studies. He currently teaches in media studies and his dissertation focusses on radical platform technology and its explanatory power for the contemporary (platformized) public sphere. Tim is also a member of the focus area Governing the Digital Society, the Datafied Society research platform, Utrecht Data School, and action collective and future union 0.7.
#2 Irene Alcubilla Troughton – Humanities
Irene Alcubilla Troughton is a PhD candidate at Utrecht University within the Acting Like a Robot Project, where she researches what movement techniques in theatre and dance have to offer to the development of human-robot interaction and the design of robot behaviour. She holds two RMA degrees in Media, Art and Performance (UU), and Theory and Critique of Culture (Carlos III University). Other interests of her lay on embodied cognition, posthumanism, phenomenology, critical disability studies and queer studies.
#3 Esmee Veenstra – Social and Behavioural Sciences
Esmee Veenstra is a PhD candidate in the department of Social, Health and Organisational Psychology in the Fculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, with a background in social and organisational psychology. Her PhD project is part of an interdisciplinary program on sustainable cooperation (SCOOP). In this context, she examines how organisations cooperate with different stakeholders, such as present and future employees and customers, by engaging in corporate social responsibility activities. For the past two years she is a representative of the PhD Network Utrecht (Prout), mostly involved in wellbeing activities.
#4 Maranke Wieringa – Humanities
Maranke Wieringa is a PhD candidate at Utrecht University and affiliated with the Utrecht Data School. She has a background in cultural and media sciences. Her academic interest focuses on the overlap between software and data. Wieringa is part of the research platform Datafied Society and teaches data analysis. In her PhD thesis Wieringa researches algorithmic accountability in Dutch municipalities, and based on the insights from the research, she develops a toolkit (BIAS) to allow municipal data professionals to make statements/insight into (the decisions regarding) algorithms.
#5 Lieke Schrijvers – Humanities
Lieke Schrijvers is a PhD candidate at UU’s department of Philosophy and Religious Studies. Previously, she did the researchmaster in gender & ethnicity, her bachelor’s degree is in cultural anthropology. Her dissertation focuses on women’s religious conversions in the Netherlands, and she teaches on religious studies and gender studies. For the past two years, Lieke has been a member of the University Council on behalf of UPP.
Beta district
#1 Romy Riemersma – Science
Romy Riemersma has been a member of Utrecht University ever since she started her Bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 2013. After graduating from the Master’s programme Nanomaterials Science Romy decided she wasn’t quite done yet with research and returned for a PhD in 2019. Currently she is a member of the research group Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis, where her research involves conversion of greenhouse gases into useful chemicals. Romy is also a representative of the PhD council of the Graduate School of Natural Science. Being a part of this PhD council, as well as her own experience as a PhD candidate has shown her that that there is still much to be done to strengthen the position of PhDs and other temporary employees at the university. In particular, we should take steps to improve communication as well as mental wellness and inclusion. To do this, it is essential that PhDs are represented in the university council. Moreover, Romy is passionate about the environment and will strive to create a more sustainable university for the future.
#2 Ellen Deelen – Veterinary Medicine
Ellen Deelen is a PhD candidate at the Centre for Sustainable Animal Stewardship, Faculty of Veterinary medicine. Ellen is currently working on (ethical) dilemma’s related to euthanasia of animals and the role of veterinarians. In addition to her PhD, Ellen is board member of Prout, Utrecht’s PhD association, and vice-chair of the veterinary PhD council.
#3 Jelmer Koorn – Science
Jelmer Koorn is a PhD candidate at the Department of Information and Computing Sciences, coming from a Business Informatics background at both the UvA, VU and Amsterdam University College. His current work focuses on developing new techniques to analyse work processes in a healthcare domain. He started working on PhD interests representation at the VU where he was a representative of staff in the faculty council of Natural Sciences. Two years ago, he moved to Utrecht where he currently chairs the PhD organisation Prout where he previously served as the treasurer and a general board member.
#4 Max van Haastrecht – Science
Max van Haastrecht started his PhD in Cybersecurity at the Department of Information and Computing Sciences back in June of 2020. Empowerment and inclusion of (temporary) staff and students are important to him, which is why Max is so excited about UPP’s party program. Accessibility and inclusivity are two of the pillars of the UPP program, and deservedly so. Max hopes and trusts that UPP will be able to provide meaningful impact regarding these topics, so that UU remains a university where everyone can thrive.
#5 Linge Li – Science
Linge Li is a PhD candidate from the Institute of Environmental Biology, Science faculty. She is a tomato researcher who studies how tomatoes cultivars respond to far-red light at the cellular level. Within the project, she applies microscopy analysis, RNA sequencing and evolution analysis, trying to reveal the mechanism of this response. She has been to the Netherlands for five years and obtained her MSc degree in plant sciences from Leiden University. As an international student, Linge experienced some difficulties not only in research but also in social life. She would like to bring more diversity to Utrecht Universiteit Council and help the international students and employees be more involved in the university activities.
#6 Berrie van der Molen – Science
#7 Anne van Veen – Science
Anne van Veen is a PhD candidate at the Freudenthal Institute, faculty of Natural Sciences. She first entered Utrecht University already in 2003 as a Social Science students, returned in 2010 for a masters at the Humanities department and came back again in 2016 for a PhD on the history of animal testing and alternatives in the Netherlands. Finding it important that PhD’s and other temporary workers are well represented in the university council, she became a University Council member in 2019.
Picture credits: Chris Rijksen (Esmee, Romy, Max, Jelmer, Linge); Ype Driessen (Maranke, Lieke, Anne); Personal collection (Tim, Irene, Ellen)