Testimonials

Previous education

BSc Biology (Radboud Universiteit)

Programme

Science, Management and Innovation

Study start date

01 September 2023

Study end date

31 August 2025

Master's student Lieke Corbeek is studying Science, Management and Innovation at Radboud University.

What do you like about the programme/specialisation and why?

What appeals to me in this Master's is the combination of my background in natural sciences with new insights into policy, innovation and entrepreneurship. It gives me the opportunity to combine my passion for research with a broader perspective, outside the lab.

What do you think about the atmosphere in class?

The atmosphere within the programme is very open and collaborative. There is a lot of interaction between students, and the lecturers are very approachable.

What do you find most challenging in your Master’s (specialisation)? Have you encountered any obstacles?

The biggest challenge is switching between scientific and social disciplines. It requires a different way of thinking, especially if you are used to lab research. But that very challenge is what makes it interesting!

Why do you think it is important that there are people with this degree? What are your plans once you have received your Master's degree?

Science needs to be translated into practice, and this Master's teaches you how to do that with a focus on innovation and policy. I personally want to contribute to social issues after my Master's, for example in health innovation or sustainability.

Programme

Science, Management and Innovation

On 1 April 2022, Prof. Birka Wicke has been appointed as professor of Land, Climate and Sustainability at Radboud University. At the Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences (RIBES), she will work on her Vidi project that will map the emissions of land use and who is responsible for them, among other topics and projects related to sustainable pathways for agriculture and the biobased economy.

Can you tell us something about your field of research?

“My research is about the sustainability challenges around land use for food, energy and materials, with the aim to find new possibilities for agriculture and other biomass production. I want to know how we can do this more sustainably. This fits with the mission of RIBES, Towards healthy ecosystems.”

“All kinds of different aspects play a role in sustainability. I mainly look at climate change and the greenhouse gas emissions from land use. But other environmental or socio-economic impacts are of course also very important for land use: water availability and quality, biodiversity, employment, health, etc. In my research, I analyse the current system and also consider options and alternatives for the future.”

What topics are you currently working on?

“My research focusses on three topics: the first is bio-energy and the potential and impact of bio-energy production, which I have studied since my dissertation. Nowadays, I’m more focussed on land use in general, so not just bio-energy but also food, animal feed and materials. With this comes my second topic: what is the influence of land use on the environment and people, and how can we improve this? From that, a third and complex question follows: who is responsible for these impacts?”

Palm oil

“An example of the complexity around responsibility for emissions is when these emissions occur far from the Netherlands, but for products that we import to the Netherlands. Palm oil is an interesting case. In the Netherlands, we use a lot of products that contain palm oil, imported from Malaysia and Indonesia. In those countries, palm oil often comes with deforestation: rainforest disappears to make room for oil palm plantations. So, who is responsible, if Indonesia produces palm oil for the Netherlands? Right now, emissions are attributed to Indonesia disregarding our consumptions as an underlying driver and ignoring that we as the Netherlands have a role to play in reducing deforestation in other countries.”

What projects will you be working on here at Radboud University?

“The example of palm oil is part of my Vidi project. This research is about greenhouse gas emissions from land use now and in the future, strategies to reduce these emissions, and the responsibility to do so. We look at three levels. The first is land use itself and how the production of different agricultural crops affects emissions from land use. The second is about companies that play a large role in where things come from and how they are produced. Companies usually do not account for the emissions of products they purchase and import. The third level is about the links between producing and consuming countries, looking at how emission responsibility could be shared across countries.

”Besides my Vidi project, I am also starting a new Horizon Europe project on sustainability certification for biobased materials and chemicals. The project aims to improve the effectiveness and robustness of certification and labelling schemes. My work in this project relates to the direct and indirect effects of certifying a production chain, for example, think about how stricter criteria regarding land use influence the greenhouse gas emission performance of the products.”

Interdisciplinary

“In this research, a lot of different aspects and disciplines are involved. For the Vidi, you need the natural sciences to look at land use and land management, for example how these change over time and how the resulting biophysical changes affect carbon in biomass and soil. I also look at agricultural commodity trade by both countries and companies to establish links between production and consumption, so that’s related to field of economics. Besides that, the social sciences and humanities also play an important role to answer the normative questions: who is responsible and how can countries and companies be held responsible for emissions that often occur far away? Moreover, there’s also a policy and governance aspect of the issue, for which you need political sciences. I try to bring these fields together to make a step forward in figuring out solutions for the climate impacts of land use.”

What do you want to achieve with this project?

“Eventually, I want to identify strategies for mitigating the land use sector’s impact on climate change, including specific action that companies and governments can take. This is why we will also work with important stakeholders in the field. Next to the policy side, I also want to develop educational programmes aimed at children, so they can get familiar with climate change, our carbon footprint and our responsibility to reduce this footprint. I have worked with primary school pupils before and got a lot of energy from their curiosity and care for the environment. So I really look forward to it.”

Will you also be teaching?

“In 2022-2023 I will teach the course Energy and climate (a second-year Master’s course) where I combine my background in energy and my interest in climate. Moreover, I want to contribute to the proposed new Master’s programme on science for sustainability, which is being developed together with Nijmegen School of Management. I have a lot of experience in sustainability science education from my previous job in Utrecht, which I can bring to the table. In the past, I have worked with large groups of students.  Now I’m really looking forward to providing more small-scale education in which I can get to know students.”

Nationality

Dutch

Programme

Mathematics, Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science, Science, Management and Innovation

Marene is a PhD candidate at the department of Data Science at Radboud University. Marene completed her Bachelor's degree in Mathematics and went on to pursue the Master's specialisation Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science, with a focus on Science, Management and Innovation.

Where do you work now and what does your work involve?

I am currently a PhD candidate at the department of Data Science at Radboud University, where my research focuses on the possibilities and perspectives of using AI within Shared Decision-Making in maternity care. By conducting studies using various methods, I aim to map out as comprehensively as possible what the challenge is, what the possible steps for improving the situation are, and what barriers one might encounter when taking those steps. I hope that my research will help facilitate more appropriate care for pregnant women and their partners.

Why did you choose to work in this field?

By conducting thorough research and reporting the results, you can support future policy and innovations. I wanted to do this within a setting that is socially relevant, that energises me, and in which a real difference can be made through information and technology. For me, that is healthcare.

What did you learn during your studies that you now use in your work?

During my studies, I learned to get to the bottom of a problem and not to give up when you don't immediately see or understand it. This helps me enormously in doing research, because I want to prepare every component of my studies thoroughly and be able to reason through it, which makes the scientific research more complete and therefore stronger.

How did you experience this programme at Radboud University? What made it special in your opinion?

I found the Mathematics programme quite challenging. Due to the small-scale nature of the programme, the threshold for reaching out to others, both fellow students and lecturers, was low when needed, and everyone is happy to help each other. I also really appreciated the generous free elective space and the options for Master's specialisations (I followed the SMI specialisation myself). These allowed me to explore all of my interests, even though they were quite far apart.

What would you advise prospective students when choosing a programme?

Almost no programme will (directly) align 100% with your interests. Choose a programme that excites you as your foundation, and then use your free elective space to take courses that interest you further. Possibly at other programmes too!