I am an Assistant Professor at the Department of Interdisciplinary Social Science and a member of the European Research Centre on Migration and Ethnic Relations (ERCOMER). My research broadly deals with immigrant integration and intergroup relations in multi-ethnic societies.

I have a background in social psychology (research master University of Groningen, cum laude) and completed a PhD in the social sciences at the KU Leuven Centre for Political Research in collaboration with the KU Leuven Center for Social and Cultural Psychology. In my PhD research, I focused on immigrant exclusion from the dominant destination country perspective. Using experimental paradigms, content analysis, and (comparative) survey data, I studied the contextual and intergroup determinants of prejudice toward immigrants in multi-ethnic societies.

Subsequently, I worked as a postdoctoral researcher and a research manager for the EUR Bridge project in the Department of Public Administration and Sociology at Erasmus University Rotterdam. In my postdoctoral research, I examined immigrant inclusion from the immigrant perspective. Using a quasi-experimental design, a 3-wave panel survey, and qualitative methods, I examined the structural and socio-cultural integration of recently arrived refugees, and the effects of local integration policy.

In addition to my strong commitment to interdisciplinary research, I have focused on bridging theory and practice. I have actively sought out opportunities to present my research findings to a wide audience of community groups, policymakers, and practitioners by giving lectures and (co-)authoring publicly available reports on integration policy effects and the dynamics of early refugee resettlement. Moreover, I have been a guest researcher at the Sociaal and Cultureel Planbureau and worked with stakeholders (i.e. non-profit organization Foundation De Verre Bergen and the municipality of Rotterdam) during my postdoctoral research project. As an Assistant Professor I will continue my engagement in science outreach activities aimed at valorizing academic research and connecting with a wider audience to enrich public debate, inform policy, and contribute to social change.