Speakers 2024

	Speakers at the Recognition & Rewards Festival
	Plenary opening
	Jasmijn Mioch - Moderator Jasmijn Mioch is a seasoned facilitator and moderator, known for her ability to create engaging, dynamic sessions that foster meaningful interaction. With extensive experience hosting both online and offline events, she excels at bringing out the best in participants and speakers alike. Jasmijn's approach blends creativity, energy, and deep insight, ensuring every event she leads is impactful, enjoyable, and well-organized.
	Jeroen Geurts - Rector Magnificus VU Amsterdam & Chair of the Recognition & Rewards steering group As Rector Magnificus of VU Amsterdam, Jeroen Geurts plays a central role in the governance and representation of the university. He is responsible for promoting the quality of education, research, and knowledge valorization. He leads the academic community and fosters an environment in which teachers, researchers, and students can excel in their respective fields. In his role as chair of the Recognition & Rewards steering group Jeroen energetically committed to the programme from the very beginning.
	Kim Huijpen - National Programme Manager Recognition & Rewards Kim Huijpen is programme manager for the Dutch national programme on recognition and rewards of academics. As a programme manager, Kim Huijpen is responsible for national coordination between all parties involved. Before becoming a programme manager, Kim Huijpen worked as a senior policy advisor at Universities of The Netherlands. Her responsibilities included research evaluations, open science, the PhD system and research integrity. She was project lead for the development of the Netherlands Code of Conduct for Research Integrity, the position paper Room for Everyone’s Talent and the Strategy Evaluation Protocol 2021 – 2027
	Benthe van Wanrooij - Chair Promovendi Netwerk Nederland Benthe van Wanrooij is chair of PhD Candidates Network Netherlands (PNN, Promovendi Netwerk Nederland). This network represents the interests of PhD candidates at the national level, focusing on topics such as labour conditions, wellbeing, and recognition and rewards. Benthe does her PhD at the University of Amsterdam, studying the accessibility of higher education.
	Column on why teams are essential in academia
	Karen Stroobants - Vice Chair of the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment Karen is a research policy adviser, specialising in research culture and research assessment. She is a Director at CultureBase Consulting and a Vice-Chair of the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment. Karen was the penholder for drafting the European Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment in 2022 and led the development of the Royal Society’s narrative Resumé for Researchers in 2018.
	Dialogue on developing diversified and talented teams
	Gunther Cornelissen - Professor of Mathematics at Utrecht University Gunther Cornelissen works in the mathematics department at Utrecht University. He was the inaugural winner of the science faculty diversity prize, and responsible for the introduction of Recognition & Rewards evaluation methods for full professors. Since this summer, he is co-chairing the Recognition & Rewards theme in Open Science at Utrecht, where he is currently investigating the practical use of R&R in internal promotion.
	Sanli Faez - Board Member Jonge Akademie Sanli is an associate professor at the Physics department of Utrecht University and one of the founders of Lili’s Proto Lab. He is a board member of KNAW De Jonge Akademie and a fellow at the Center for Unusual Collaborations. He contributes to an accessible and sustainable academia by advocating for Open Science and making Open-source Hardware.
	Sean Sapcariu - Programme Manager at the Luxembourg National Research Fund Sean is as programme manager responsible for strategic programmes and research culture initiatives. He has led the implementation of a narrative CV template across FNR funding programmes, co-produced a video with DORA giving guidance to evaluators on responsible research assessment techniques, and helped organize the 2021 Science Europe High Level Workshop on Research Culture. Internationally, he sits on the DORA Steering Committee, the GRC Working Group on Responsible Research Assessment, and co-chairs the Science Europe Working Group on Research Culture. Before joining the FNR, Sean completed his PhD studies at the University of Luxembourg in Biology and worked as a Liaison Officer in the Strategy and Planning Office of the University of Luxembourg Rectorate.
	Eefje Cuppen - Director of the Rathenau Instituut & Professor of Governance of Sustainability Leiden University Prof. Eefje Cuppen is director of the Rathenau Instituut, which supports the formation of public and political opinion on science, innovation, and new technology and provides insight into the functioning of the science system. She is also part-time Professor of Governance of Sustainability at the Institute of Public Administration of Leiden University. There she leads an interdisciplinary research program on participatory modelling and energy justice, together with TU Delft and a consortium of public and private organizations.
	Renske Bouwer - Associate Professor Renske Bouwer is associate professor in Language & Education. She integrates educational sciences, psychology, and linguistics to enhance students' writing skills across all education levels. She collaborates with teachers to create evidence-based educational materials, leading to successful spin-offs like Tekster and Comproved, and has received multiple awards, including a cum laude PhD from Utrecht Institute for Language Sciences.
	Teamnote on Research Culture
	Candy Rowe - Professor of Animal Behaviour and Cognition, Dean of Research Culture and Strategy Newcastle University Candy is a researcher in behavioural sciences, leads a research group in her Faculty, and is also Dean for Research and Culture and Strategy at Newcastle University in the UK. She therefore brings a variety of perspectives on how we reward and recognise teamwork and leadership qualities. As Dean, she leads on a values-led programme of work to build more positive research cultures in her own institution, which includes a Wellcome-funded project to develop and recognise leadership capacity for building psychologically safe and inclusive research environments. She is also part of regional and national collaborations to improve reward and recognition and research culture, most notably through the N8 Research Partnership and the UK Reproducibility Network.