prof. dr. G. (Gjalt) de Jong

Professor Gjalt de Jong is Full Professor of Sustainable Entrepreneurship in a Circular Economy at the University of Groningen (Campus Fryslân), the Netherlands. He holds an MSc in Economics and a PhD in Business Administration from the University of Groningen and has over 30 years of experience in academia, business, and management.

After an early career focusing on economic growth and for-profit business strategies, his research has, since 2015, centred on sustainable entrepreneurship, circular economy transitions, and regenerative agriculture. He is currently Director of the Centre for Sustainable Agriculture Transition, where he leads interdisciplinary research on regenerative farming systems and sustainable business models.

Professor de Jong has published extensively and has supervised more than 200 student research projects and 15 completed PhD dissertations. He currently leads and supervises a team of approximately 20 senior, junior, and PhD researchers.

He is Principal Investigator of the National Growth Fund programme Regenerative Farming Transition (€15.9 million within a €129 million national consortium) and has attracted approximately €20 million in competitive research and consortium funding. Beyond academia, he actively engages with policymakers, industry, and civil society and contributes regularly to international and national debates on sustainability transitions.