Our Board
Drs. Maria Henneman (chair)
Maria Henneman has been appointed chair of the board of the Rathenau Instituut by Ingrid van Engelshoven, Minister of Education, Culture and Science, effective June 1, 2021.
Henneman gained renown as a journalist and presenter at the NOS Journaal and later as editor-in-chief of the current affairs programme 'Netwerk'. Since leaving journalism in 2004, she and her consultancy agency Henneman Strategies have focused on providing strategic communication and policy advice to companies, non-profit organisations and (local) government. She has also held numerous advisory and board positions, including at Radboud University and the Innovatieplatform. Since 2016, she has been chair of the Gender & Health programme committee at ZonMw.
Main functions:
- Director/owner Henneman Strategies BV, agency for strategy and (crisis) communication
- Director/owner Hof van Amstel BV, dressage stable
Side functions:
- Chair of the board of the Rathenau Instituut - paid
- Extraordinary Council member Research Council for Safety - attendance fee
- Chair supervisory board Regional Public Broadcasting Foundation - paid
- Chair programme committee Gender & Health ZonMw until 19-09-2022 - attendance fee
- Member advisory board Baker and McKenzie - paid
- Chair ORUN, quality institute for diploma and examiner equestrian training Netherlands - unpaid
- Committee of recommendation Werken als een Paard (Working like a Horse), committed to helping children who could use a helping hand - unpaid
Prof. Dr. M.N.C. Aarts
Noelle Aarts is professor of socio-ecological interactions and director of the Institute for Science in Society (ISiS) at Radboud University.
Noelle Aarts (born 1957) is director of the Institute for Science in Society (ISiS) at Radboud University. She studied Biology and Cultural Anthropolgy and obtainted her PhD in 1998 at Wageningen UR with a doctoral thesis on the communication between the government and farmers about controversial nature and nature policy in the Netherlands. Before she was appointed professor Socio-Ecological Interactions at Radboud University in 2017, she was professor Communication and Change in Life Science Contexts at Wageningen UR. Noelle Aarts’ research focuses on the meaning of everyday conversations on tracks of complex change involving nature, human-animal relations and the use of land.
- Member of the board of the Rathenau Instituut - paid
- Member of the scientific advisory board of the Vogelbescherming - unpaid
- Member of the scientific advisory board of Maasheggen UNESCO Man & the Biosphere - unpaid
- Member of the advisory committee on scholarships of the Prince Bernhard Cultural Fund - unpaid
- Scientific advisor to the Centre for Connecting Humans and Nature (CCHN) – unpaid
Prof. dr. Nynke van Dijk
Nynke van Dijk is the dean of the Faculty of Health, Sport, and Exercise at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences and holds a special professorship in 'Medical Education and Training of Healthcare Professionals' at the University of Amsterdam.
Nynke van Dijk (1977) is the dean of the Faculty of Health, Sport, and Exercise at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, where she focuses on applied research and the education of students in the fields of healthcare, nutrition, sport, and exercise. As a professor, she conducts research on the training of healthcare professionals, with particular attention to continuing education and workplace learning.
Nynke studied medicine (University of Amsterdam) and educational sciences (Maastricht University) and earned her PhD in 2006 with a dissertation on the diagnosis and treatment of patients with fainting spells due to blood pressure regulation disorders at the University of Amsterdam.
Before starting as dean in 2020, she worked as a clinical epidemiologist and educational scientist at Amsterdam UMC, after which she served as a professor and member of the management team at the Department of General Practice at Amsterdam UMC.
Main function:
- Dean of the Faculty of Health, Sport, and Exercise at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences.
Side functions:
- Special Professor at Amsterdam UMC – University of Amsterdam, on behalf of the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences Foundation. Paid (through position at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences)
- Member of the General Board of the Ben Sajet Centre Amsterdam – unpaid
- Member of the Dutch Advisory Board - Centre for Urban Mental Health – University of Amsterdam – unpaid
- Member of the Sectoral Advisory Council for Higher Healthcare Education, Association of Universities of Applied Sciences – unpaid
- Member of the Board of the Rathenau Institute – paid
Dr. L.J.F. Guérin
Laurence Guérin is lector World Citizenship at The Hague University of Applied Sciences
Laurence Guérin (1971) is a lecturer on World Citizenship at The Hague University of Applied Sciences and a practitioner on Citizenship at ROC van Twente. She studied Business Administration at the Ecole Supérieur de Commerce de Rennes in France. After having worked for ten years in Basel (CH) in the pharmaceutical industry as, amongst other things, a quality manager, she studied Pedagogy at Utrecht University. She holds a PhD in Citizenship (political and pedagogical justification of civic education and civic didactics). She has developed and led the project "Beta citizenship" and currently leads the NRO educational research workshop "Democratization of critical thinking" at MBO level. The focus of the research in her practice and professorship is critical civic education in the context of vocational preparation, the promotion of youth participation and the impact of technology on social questions in a deliberative democracy.
- Member of the board of the Rathenau Instituut - paid
- Lecturer in World Citizenship at The Hague University of Applied Sciences
- Co director Knowledge Centre Global and inclusive Learning
- Practor Citizenship ROC van Twente
- Member of the Supervisory Board of ROC Midden Nederland - paid
Dr. Radjesh Manna
Radjesh Manna (1974) is the Director of Research and Education at Erasmus MC Rotterdam, and is therefore ultimately responsible for policy development, support, and implementation related to the science conducted and the education provided by Erasmus MC.
Radjesh studied health sciences at Erasmus University Rotterdam and earned his PhD at the Institute for Health Policy and Management (now the Erasmus School of Health Policy and Management) on research into the validity of medical guidelines in a multi-ethnic and multicultural society. After his PhD, Radjesh worked for four years as a consultant at Plexus Medical Group and then spent ten years at ZonMw/NWO, where in the last few years he served as the Director of Grant Programs (ZonMw) and Director of Medical Sciences (NWO).
Main function:
- Founder and Owner of Bureau Digitale Zaken B.V.
Side functions:
- Board Member of the Rathenau Institute – paid
- Member of the Advisory Board of Amsterdam Data Collective – paid
- Chair of the Advisory Board of the Royal Dutch Association of Information Professionals (KNVI) – unpaid
- Member of the Advisory Board of iPoort – unpaid
Joep Munten
Joep Munten is Managing Director of Hartelt Fund Management
Joep Munten (1977) has been the managing director of Hartelt Fund Management, a fund manager specialized in healthcare real estate, since 2014. He works at the intersection of impact investing, investment, and sustainability issues. He has extensive experience as an entrepreneur in the financial sector. In 2003, he founded EY Montesquieu, a consultancy firm specializing in financing issues and risk management. Prior to that, he began his career at ABN Amro Bank, where he worked in the treasury department. He earned his master’s degree in Risk Management for Financial Institutions at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Joep is also a member of the Supervisory Board and chairman of the Members’ Council of Rabobank Zuid-Limburg West, and a member of the Supervisory Board of the healthcare organization Stichting Envida.
Main function:
- Managing Director of Hartelt Fund Management BV
Side functions:
- Member of the Board of the Rathenau Instituut – paid
- Member of the Supervisory Board of Stichting Envida – paid
- Member of the Supervisory Board of Rabobank Zuid-Limburg West – paid
Professor dr. ir. Behnam Taebi
Full professor Behnam Taebi studied Material Science and Engineering (2006) and received his Ph.D. in Philosophy of Technology (2010).
He was affiliated with Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs (2014-2020) and a member of The Young Academy of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (DJA-KNAW, 2016-2021). Taebi is the co-Editor-in-Chief of ‘Science and Engineering Ethics’, co-editor of a volume on ‘The Ethics of Nuclear Energy’ and the author of a monograph on ‘Ethics and Engineering. An Introduction’. He has further served on the OECD Expert Panel that published the report Addressing societal challenges using transdisciplinary research in 2020.
Main and side functions
- Member of the board of the Rathenau Instituut
- Co-Editor-in-Chief of Science and Engineering Ethics
- Member of the Steering Group Co van Ledden Hulsebosch Center (CLHC) - de koepelorganisatie van forensisch onderzoek in Nederland
- Member of the Wetenschappelijke Klimaatraad (WKR)
- Member of the Advisory Board The United Nations University – Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (UNU-MERIT)
Kees Verhoeven
Kees Verhoeven is the founder and owner of Bureau Digitale Zaken B.V.
Kees Verhoeven (1976) grew up in Zeeland, studied Geography in Utrecht, and after stays in the USA and Guatemala, worked for various associations for small and medium-sized enterprises. In 2010, he became a member of the Dutch House of Representatives for D66, a position he held until 2021. During his time as a parliamentarian, he increasingly focused on the multifaceted impact of digital technology on society. Afterward, he wrote a book ("De democratie crasht") and founded Bureau Digitale Zaken, through which, as an entrepreneur, he provides strategic advice, lectures, training, and articles, advocating for a humane society in the digital age.
Main function:
- Founder and Owner of Bureau Digitale Zaken B.V.
Side functions:
- Board Member of the Rathenau Institute – paid
- Member of the Advisory Board of Amsterdam Data Collective – paid
- Chair of the Advisory Board of the Royal Dutch Association of Information Professionals (KNVI) – unpaid
- Member of the Advisory Board of iPoort – unpaid
Prof. dr. ir. Eefje Cuppen
As of 1 October 2022, professor Eefje Cuppen from Leiden University is the new director of the Rathenau Instituut.
The Chairman and other members of the Board are formally appointed by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) and the Scientific Council for Government Policy (WRR), at the nomination of the sitting members of the Board. According to our institutional decree, members are appointed by the Minister of Education, Culture, and Science for the duration of four years, with a possibility of extension.
If you have any questions for (or about) the Board, please email Diana Trimpert (executive secretary).