Curriculum Vitae

• Date of birth June 10^th 1947 in Harlingen, the Netherlands. Married (1969), two children (1972, 1974) and four grandchildren (2001, 2003, 2009, 2010)
• Secondary education: HBS-B in Harlingen and Leeuwarden (1959-1964).
• University study: Human Geography, University of Groningen. Bachelors degree (cum laude) 1968, Masters degree (cum laude) 1971.
• PhD in Economics 1985 (thesis Bedrijfsrelokatie en ruimtelijke cognitie/Firm relocation and spatial cognition).
• From 1971 onwards lecturer in Economic Geography at the Geographical Institute (now Faculty of Spatial Sciences) of the University of Groningen. In 1985 Associate Professor, since 1990 Full Professor of Economic Geography. In 1991 also part time at the faculty of Spatial Sciences, University of Utrecht. Chair of the Department of Economic Geogra­phy 1990-2008. In 1994-1998 Dean of the Faculty of Spatial Sciences in Groningen. 1998-2005 Director of Education for Human Geography. From 2008-2011 again Dean of the Faculty of Spatial Sciences in Groningen.
• Main tasks: education and research in the discipline of Economic Geography. Publications (ca. 300) on firm location and relocation, local and regional economic devel­op­ment, spatial images, spatial aspects of innovation and information. Leader of a great number of research projects in these fields, subsidized by the university, the Dutch Science Foundation (NWO) or contracted by firms and institutions. Fellow of the Research School SOM (Systems, Organizations, Management) in 1998-2002. Fellow of the national research school Nethur (Netherlands Institute for Urban research) since 2002.
• Winner of the Author's Award of the Royal Dutch Geographic Society 1983.
• Director of Postdoctoral Courses on Infradevelopment and Strategic Project devel­op­ment of AOG (foundation for Academic Courses Groningen). Examinator of these courses (1997-2005). Board Member of AOG foundation 1994/1995, 2001/2002. Member of the AOG Academic Council (2003-).
• Co-editor (since 1994) of the international scientific journal European Spatial Research and Policy of the universities of Lodz, Groningen, Prague and Bristol.

Selection of recent and relevant other representations:

• Member of the Supervision Council of the Groningen University Fund (1999-2011). Board Member of the Groningen University Fund (since 2001).
• Board member of the Dutch section of the International Geographical Union (1987-2008)
• Member of the Management Council of the Information and Documentation Centre for the Geography of the Netherlands (1985-1993).
• Member of the Communication Platform of the City of Groningen (1988-1994) and the Forum Grote Markt (2001-20 05)
• Member/substitute of the Provincial Commission for Physical Planning and the Provincial Commission for Water and Environment of the province of Groningen (2003-2011).
• Member of the Berie foar it Frysk (Frysian Language Council) (1990-1995).
• Member of the Market Sector Commission for Logistics of the Integral Structural Plan for the Northern Netherlands (1995-1999).
• Member/Scientific Expert on Economics of the Wadden Sea Advisory Council (1996-2003).
• Board member of the Lead Partner of the EU Interreg IIc Programme "North XXI, Quality by identity" (1998-2001). Independent expert of the EU Interreg IIc Programme "Revitalisation of harbour towns and cities" (2000/2001).
• Member of the geography visitation committee for the North German Universities of Bremen, Hamburg, Kiel and Greifswald (2001).
• Member Dutch Science Foundation’s VICI committee for top research grants (2002, 2003). Member of the Scientific Council of the German ‘Bundesamt für Bauwesen und Raumordnung’, Bonn (2005-2008)
• Member of the Advisory Committee of DHV North (2007-2010)
• Chair of the Foundation Hallmark Industrial Parks (since 2010). Member of the Commissioners' Council of the Waterbedrijf Groningen (since 2011)