Marlies Meijer (1985) studied Spatial Planning at Wageningen University (MSc, 2010). From 2011 to 2017, Marlies worked at the Radboud University as a PhD Candidate, at the department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning. Her PhD-research concerned informal and community-led planning practices in depopulating areas across Europe (Galicia, Spain; Östergötland, Sweden; De Achterhoek, The Netherlands). This research is aimed at gaining a better understanding of how local communities plan (in informal ways), and how their planning activities relate to governmental (statutory) planning. For this research Marlies stayed as a visititing researcher at Universidad de Santiago de Compostela and Linköping University.

Currently, Marlies is working as assistant professor at the Human Geography and Planning department at Universiteit Utrecht. Her position is divided between research (50%) and education (50%). Her field of research includes civic initiatives, informality, spatial planning and government-community relations. Educational activities include the supervision of Bachelor and Master theses, coordinating Advanced Methods and Techniques for Planning Research (MA-course), teaching in Ruimtelijke Vraagstukken Nederland (BA-course) and the coordination of the Bachelor course "Planningstelselvraagstukken".