Haroon Sheikh is a senior scientist at WRR (Scientific Council for Government Policy), Endowed Professor of Strategic Governance of Global Technologies at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and columnist at NRC Handelsblad. He is also a member of HUMAN’s supervisory board, SIDN Fund’s advisory board, foundation Socires, Brainwash Festival, and organization ‘Universities of the Netherlands’.
Jelle van Baardewijk is a research professor of business ethics at Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences and an assistant professor of public administration at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. He also hosts YouTube show De Nieuwe Wereld. In 2018, he published Het goede leven & de vrije markt, which he coauthored with two philosophers. From 2012 until 2019, he was a senior researcher at the thinktank.
Arief headed FreedomLab from 2018 until 2023, directing our research and business endeavors with a special emphasis on the impact of emerging digital technologies on the economy, politics and society. He holds a master's degree in communication sciences from Radboud University Nijmegen and a doctorate degree in human-computer interaction from Eindhoven University of Technology.
Nora Neuteboom is an economist at the International Monetary Fund in Washington, D.C., and a PhD researcher at King’s College London, where she’s conducting research into big data and machine learning applications in the realm of macroeconomics. Prior to joining the IMF, Nora worked as an economist at ABN AMRO.
Maya Turolla is a political and social scientist specialized in rural development and youth employment in emerging economies, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. She holds a double degree PhD in Political Sciences and is currently working as a postdoctoral researcher at Radboud University Nijmegen, passionate about making knowledge work for sustainable and inclusive development.
Vivian Elion is an Advisor for Regional Approach at the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO). In this role, she supports provinces, municipalities and entrepreneurs in adopting national sustainability policies concerning construction, the environment, and society. Vivian studied Global Business and Sustainability at Erasmus University Rotterdam, specializing in sustainability tensions. During her tenure at FreedomLab, she developed the Deep Transitions Framework into business services.
FreedomLab Fellow Leonardo Werner has a background in law and holds a master's degree in Philosophy of Science, Technology and Society from the University of Twente, the Netherlands. He is particularly interested in the topics of ethics, existentialism and human-technology interaction. His present research and writing center on augmented reality, artificial intelligence and the consequences of digital technologies in our daily lives.
With a background in Philosophy, Politics and Economics and a Master’s in History, Martine Dirkzwager Wu is intrigued by researching what the new conditions for the Humanities are in the age of the Anthropocene. In trying to understand a fundamentally unintelligible world, her thought process aims to be as critical as creative. She celebrates an era of post-truth in which knowledge can be traced through academic, but also natural and artistic networks.
Julieta Macome works as a content writer for Utopia Capital, an impact fund that invests in early-stage climate tech startups. Additionally, she teaches Theory of Knowledge in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She holds a BA in Philosophy from University College London and a BPhil in Philosophy from the University of Oxford, where she conducted research on the philosophical nature of life and its origins.
Myrthe Tiemessen interned at FreedomLab to research how social media affect our identity and self-esteem. She is currently conducting research on app design and developing educational content to raise awareness among teenagers vis-à-vis the effects social media platforms have on their identity formation.
Victória Ferreira interned at FreedomLab while completing her Master's in Cultural Economics and Entrepreneurship at Erasmus University Rotterdam. In her research and writing, Victoria nurtures her expertise in the field she loves most: culture. She investigates how objects and art tell stories and write history, especially when it comes to fashion and heritage.
Federica interned at FreedomLab to research degrowth economics, an academic movement that challenges traditional economic growth models and explores alternative pathways to sustainability. She is currently pursuing two Master's degrees at Erasmus University Rotterdam, one in Philosophy and Economics and one in Economics and Sustainability.
Vlad Enasescu interned at FreedomLab to research and develop future scenarios on EU legislation concerning digital technology, society and economy. In September 2022, he started his master’s degree in European Public Affairs at Maastricht University, focusing, in particular, on policies regarding lobbying, transparency and data.
Rafael Rienks interned at FreedomLab to research international relations and the international political economy, focusing on the economic decoupling between China and the West. He is currently finishing his degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.