About

I’m a philosopher of science with a focus on how groups make decisions — especially when they:

• need to bring together perspectives from different stakeholders or disciplines;
• are making high-stakes decisions within formal rules as well as unwritten norms and customs.

To study this, I take a ‘philosophy in practice’ approach. I start from how people in the group themselves understand their decision-making. Then I use qualitative and philosophical methods to better understand how their decision-making process works and how it might be improved.

Current

I am currently in the final phase of my PhD research into decision-making by Dutch accreditation panels that evaluate higher education quality. For this study I received an NWO doctoral grant, and it is supported by several stakeholders of Dutch higher education. More details on the research page, or take a look at some recent presentations to see what I’ve been up to.

Past

Before starting my PhD, I taught game design and media design. Before then, I trained & worked as a designer and as a music writer/editor. Before then, I aspired to captain a Y-wing or Galaxy-class starship. For more information please peruse my cv.

Personal
Some personal stuff I care about: first of all, I’m nuts about music: listening to it and playing it myself. I mostly sing and play guitar nowadays, but I also like to play saxophone, drums, and trumpet sometimes. I’m an avid reader, aeropresser of coffee, plant eater, biker, gamer and cinephile, and purveyor of dad jokes for two wonderful sons. I’m a Linux fan, and supporter of libre/open source software, open science, good and accessible education, and better public transport. I root for climate action and social justice. Friends call me Gabri, which is pronounced /’χabri/ in Dutch, my native tongue. Drop me a line through e-mail, in any natural or constructed language, and we’ll drink a cuppa.

Last update of this page: 28 June 2026