PhD Candidates

Sahar Abdollahi
Sahar's academic background is in urban management and development. She got her master degree in the specialization of “sustainability, environment and climate change” in 2019 from Erasmus University. Her current research aims to discover the impact of Urban Morphology on social and spatial inclusion in ancient cities of the Netherlands. During her Ph.D., she will analyze the models for spatial development in ancient cities of Netherlands to explore the influence of these evolutions on residential segregation.
Promotor: Prof. Martin de Jong (ESL/RSM)
2nd Promotor: Prof. Jurian Edelenbos (IHS/ESSB)
Co-Promotor: Dr. Jan Fransen (IHS)

Abdulrhman Alsayel
Abdulrhman's current research focus is to discover the connections and tensions between place branding, inclusive urban development, and the creative class theory. Before that, he led the youth engagement unit at UN-Habitat in its Future Saudi Cities Program, in the capacity of Youth and Advocacy Lead consultant. He also worked for the Imam Abdulrhman Bin Faisal University (IAU) as a lecturer in the urban and regional planning department. He received his education in sustainability, planning and environmental policy from Cardiff University (UK) from its School of Geography and Planning.
Promotor: Prof. Martin de Jong (ESL/RSM)
Co-Promotor: Dr. Jan Fransen (IHS)

Koen van den Bosch
Koen works on the project ‘Values in Finance’ and will study the role of ethical, social, and environmental values in financial markets. The aim is to make a contribution to questions such as how do these values interact with financial risk and return, how do investors with different values behave in financial markets, and what can be the role of a financial market in measuring, pricing, and hedging social, ethical and environmental risks. Koen holds a MSc in Economics and gained experience in strategy consulting prior to starting the PhD.
Promotor: Dr. Marta Szymanowska
Co-Promotor: Dr. Conrad Heilmann

Daniela Garcia-Caro Briceno
Daniela Garcia-Caro’s academic background includes Environmental Studies, Sustainable Development, and Agroecology. Her research interests lie with sustainable food system transformations and bridging the gaps between food system research, practice, and policy. The topic of her PhD is ‘Agribusiness and Sustainable Alternatives’, which aims to explore the stumbling blocks of transitions to an agroecological Europe by looking at the EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy and their proposition for a new Legislative Framework for Sustainable Food Systems.
Promotor: Prof. Alessandra Arcuri (ESL)
Co-Promotor: Dr. Yogi Hale Hendlin (ESPhil)

Roy Heesakkers
Roy Heesakkers studies the inclusion of public interests in corporate governance, from a corporate law perspective. His approach combines insights from systems thinking, regenerative economics and pluralistic notions of social justice.
Promotor: Prof. Maarten Verbrugh (ESL)
Co-Promotor: Dr. Conrad Heilmann (ESPhil)

Puck Hendriks
Puck’s research focusses on the influence of the institutional context on corporate philanthropy. She has an academic background in International Relations and Public Administration and Organization Science. Prior to joining RSM and the Dynamics of Inclusive Prosperity Initiative she was the manager of a corporate foundation and worked for an association for sustainable investment.
Promotor: Prof. Lucas Meijs (RSM)
2nd Promotor: Prof. Liesbeth Enneking (ESL)

Lydia Baan Hofman
Baan Hofman's research interests lie in (intersections between) ecophilosophy, (feminist) science and technology studies and aesthetics. In her PhD project, she elaborates Donna Haraway’s notion of response-ability towards the urgencies of climate change.
Promotor: Prof. Marli Huijer (ESPhil)
2nd Promotor: Prof. Alessandra Arcuri (ESL)

Aziza Mayar
Aziza Mayar’s academic background is in International Relations, Humanities, and Global Political Economy. The topic of her research is on the role of International Law in meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals with a case study on the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development guidelines and the National Contact Points of this organization.
Promotor: Prof. Ellen Hey (ESL)
2nd Promotor: Prof. Karen Maas (ESE)

Maria Carmen Punzi
Maria Carmen graduated from the master "Global Business and Sustainability". In her MSc thesis she explored the ways in which social businesses are challenging and changing the way society thinks of and experiences menstruation. After graduating, she worked at the BSM department of RSM as a research assistant and at a global health non-profit organization, to continue the work started with the thesis. During her PhD, she is planning to analyze the menstrual health context as a case where different stakeholders – social entrepreneurs, incumbent firms, non-profit organizations, regulators and donors – dynamically interact and work towards collaborative governance.
Promotor: Prof. Pursey Heugens (RSM)
2nd Promotor: Prof. Peter Mascini (ESL)
Co-Promotor: Dr. Mirjam Werner (RSM)

Heleen Tiemersma
Heleen Tiemersma studies the potential of financial institutions to exercise their leverage on corporate clients and business partners to contribute to the realisation of human rights. The research will take a multidisciplinary approach (legal and managerial), focussing on the combination of innovative management stances and innovative legal arrangements for responsible and pro-active business conduct beyond compliance.
Promotor: Prof. Martijn Scheltema (ESL)
2nd Promotor: Prof. Rob van Tulder (RSM)

Stephanie Triefus
Stephanie’s academic background is in law and human rights, and she practiced community and commercial law in Australia before completing a Master of Laws focusing on human rights at Utrecht University. Stephanie’s research interests include business and human rights, critical approaches to international law, the social impacts of international law and empirical legal research. The topic of Stephanie’s PhD is ‘Participatory rights, international investment law and inclusive prosperity: Re-imagining legal economic systems around inclusion’.
Promotor: Prof. Alessandra Arcuri (ESL)
2nd Promotor: Prof. Jeroen Temperman (ESL)

Yannick Wiessner
Yannick Wiessner’s academic background is in International Business. He is interested in foreign trade and especially in foreign direct investment (FDI), most notably in emerging markets. In particular, his research explores how FDI as a foreign impetus can contribute to a host country’s sustainable development, not only in economic terms, but also considering legal, social, and environmental aspects of investment impact.
Promotor: Prof. Alessandra Arcuri (ESL)
Supervisor: Dr. Brian Pinkham (RSM)
Supervisor: Dr. Frank Wijen (RSM)

Jialong Zhu
Jialong’s academic background is in urban regeneration and development. His research interests lie in inclusive urban development, eco-cities and smart cities. During his PhD, he will explore whether smart city initiatives constitute an approach that integrates social, economic, and spatial dimensions of urban inclusion.
Promotor: Prof. Martin de Jong (ESL/RSM)
2nd Promotor: Prof. Jurian Edelenbos(IHS/ESSB)
Supervisor: Dr. Alberto Gianoli (IHS)

Sahar Abdollahi