Marieke Martens appointed as board member of NWO domain AES

The human factor in traffic

Martens brings with her a wealth of experience as a researcher and administrator. For more than 25 years she has been engaged in research for knowledge institutions, companies and public authorities into human factors in relation to traffic, including topics such as road safety, driving behavior, automated vehicles, artificial intelligence (AI), and human-machine interaction.

Martens began her career as a researcher at TNO in 1996 and has worked there ever since. In 2007, she earned her PhD in psychology at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. She continued her academic career at the University of Twente, where she became a full professor in 2014. Since 2019, Martens has been a Professor of Automated Vehicles and Human Interaction at Eindhoven University of Technology. In 2018, she was appointed as Director of Science for Traffic and Transport at TNO, a position in which she is responsible for strategic research programming and connecting the work of various disciplines in this field. She will leave this position in January 2024 to take up the post of Principal Scientist at TNO. In addition to her work as a researcher and administrator, Professor Martens also teaches several courses in Bachelor’s and Master’s programs.

Bridge builder

A feature of Martens’ work is the role she plays as a bridge builder. She has considerable experience in bringing together and forming connections between different research disciplines and between researchers and Dutch industrial partners. A focus on impact is key to Martens’ approach and she is accustomed to collaborating with external partners to achieve it. At both Eindhoven University of Technology and at TNO, she develops joint research programs with partners aimed at finding innovative solutions for societal challenges. Her work covers the spectrum from exploratory innovative research to application-oriented projects with public-private partnerships.

Aiming for impact

“What appeals to me about NWO domain AES is the focus on the application of scientific research. I also warmly welcome the increasing emphasis on the societal impact of research, in addition to its economic value. In addition, I believe the growing trend of cross-programmed research on particular themes is precisely what the Netherlands needs. I’m looking forward to helping drive these developments forward," says Marieke Martens of her appointment.