I’m born and raised in a small village in ‘The Green Heart’ of The Netherlands, a rural region surrounded by some of the major Dutch cities. For my studies, I moved up north to Groningen, where I obtained my bachelor and master degree in Human Movement Sciences at the University of Groningen.
As a student, I performed field tests with athletes and associated data analysis, and continued to develop my research skills on a clinical level at a research internship at the Department of Orthopedics at the University Medical Center Groningen.
Within SURREAL, I will use my background in Human Movement Sciences to examine physical activity behavior of Luxembourgish residents within their living environment. Instead of using an individual approach to promote exercise, as often been used in medical science, my focus lies at defining characteristics of people’s social and physical living environment that influence their physical activity behavior. Exposure to green space, availability of sports facilities, neighborhood safety are just some examples of environmental characteristics that can enhance physical activity. This interest in physical activity and its related benefits all stem from my own love for sports, but I'm aware that a lot of people do not share this sentiment for being active. Getting people to be more active, finding ways that meet someone’s personal needs, is something I would like to contribute to.
