MSc Van Leeuwen, G.E.

Gijs van Leeuwenis a PhD candidate at the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering exploring the participatory design of smart renewable energy systems that provide social and economic benefits to all users. At the faculty of IDE, Gijs is working on the Design Anthropology of Local Energy Markets using various ethnographic and participatory design methods. His goal is to incorporate the needs and preferences of end users in the design of a smart energy platform that will be realized in Amsterdam Zuid-Oost as part of the Local Inclusive Future Energy (LIFE) City project. Gijs aims to bridge technical and social disciplines to contribute to democratic, human-centered energy innovations and sustainability transitions.

Academic Background

In his previous education Gijs completed an MSc in Energy Science at Utrecht University between 2017 and 2019. For his thesis he modelled a smart community energy system, which got him interested in the social aspect of such systems related to ethics, politics and social studies. This led Gijs to pursue a second MSc in Philosophy of Science, Technology and Society at the University of Twente, which he graduated before coming to the TU Delft. Gijs also finished a BSc in Earth Sciences at Utrecht University.