Jaap is an Assistant Professor at Human Geography and Spatial Planning, embedded in the Economic Geography group. He completed his PhD dissertation at the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development where he examined how institutions and educational systems create inequalities in digital labour markets. Previously, he completed a bachelor in Sociology, the master "Contemporary Social Problems" (cum laude), and the master "Sociology and Social Research" (cum laude). In his current position, he focuses on regional variation in political and social attitudes. In general, Jaap's research interests include educational and geographical inequalities, political and institutional critiques (populism, extremism,meritocratic beliefs), and democratic values in general.