Gaaitzen de Vries appointed as Professor of International Trade and Sustainable Development 

The Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) is pleased to announce that Gaaitzen de Vries has been appointed as Professor of International Trade and Sustainable Development. The chair is situated within the Department of Global Economics and Management.

Gaaitzen de Vries has a long history at FEB, having also obtained his PhD here (2010). After receiving his PhD degree, he was a postdoc and then an assistant professor at FEB and was promoted to associate professor in 2017. From 2017 to 2023, De Vries was also affiliated with the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, China. In 2023, he became academic director of the master's programme International Economics and Sustainable Development, a role he currently still holds.

De Vries is a Fellow of the Groningen Growth and Development Centre (GGDC), where he researches global economic transformation. His work spans international trade, development economics, regional science, and international business. Much of his research informs policy, and he regularly advises governments, multilateral organizations and the private sector.

Advancing the research and education agenda

In his new role as full professor, de Vries will engage in teamwork to advance the research and education agenda on international economic development. This includes studying how production networks evolve amid geopolitical shifts, how patterns of trade specialization evolve, and what drives structural change and economic growth. He will translate these research insights into teaching within the bachelor’s programme Economics and Business Economics and the master's programme International Economics & Sustainable Development at FEB.

De Vries looks forward to the opportunities his new role brings. “I’m honored and very grateful for this appointment. It’s a wonderful opportunity to deepen research and teaching on how global shifts affects workers and people’s daily lives.”