Hidde Menno Bijlard

I am an MSc student in the Engineering & Policy Analysis program. I am interested to understand how to reduce the impact of infectious diseases (e.g. COVID-19) on our society. I believe that better understanding can save lives and improve wellbeing. As a primary tool for my research, I use agent-based modelling. It is a widely used simulation paradigm to study complex systems. Infectious diseases, in their turn, are a great example of complex systems since they affect almost every aspect of people's life. In collaboration with the national statistical agency of the Netherlands, I investigate how these models work with different types of data: public and micro. Overall, I aim to make these models better. In my free time I can be found on the water, using the wind to propel me to new heights.