Ilja van Beest Director of BUas Research & Development
On 1 February 2026, Ilja van Beest will start as our Director of Research & Development and also as a member of the BUas Executive Board. This role is a new position aimed at further strengthening BUas Research & Development, realising the BUas R&D vision and thereby making an impact on education, industry and society.
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Prof. Dr Ilja van Beest (53) is currently research director of the national graduate school of social psychology, the Kurt Lewin Institute. Prior to that, he was director of education, head of department and research director at Tilburg University.
Ilja van Beest obtained his PhD from Leiden University in 2001 and has been professor of social psychology at Tilburg University since 2009. His research focuses on group dynamics, social influence and well-being, connecting behavioural science research with societal issues such as social exclusion and cooperation.
He also advises the Dutch Institute of Psychology (NIP) on well-being and behaviour and is chair of the NIP Thesis Award in Social Psychology. His work has been recognised with national and international awards, including the Best Dissertation Awards and the Ig Nobel Prize. He is also editor-in-chief of the journal Social Influence and is involved in various international professional organisations such as the European Association of Social Psychology (EASP), the Society for Experimental Social Psychology (SESP), and the International Association for Conflict Management (IACM).
Ilja has two children and lives with his partner Angela in Tilburg.
Jorrit Snijder, President of the BUas Executive Board, says: ‘We are delighted that Ilja van Beest is joining BUas as Director of Research & Development. He is a highly regarded researcher and experienced research director with a strong ambition to make a social and societal impact. We look forward to working with him to further develop BUas as a European R&D university of applied sciences.’
‘I am really excited to be joining BUas. The ambition to create meaningful experiences through research and education beautifully captures what knowledge development and innovation mean to me. I look forward to getting to know everyone and to shaping – together with colleagues and partners – an inspiring learning and working environment in which curiosity, interdisciplinarity, and societal impact go hand in hand,’ says Ilja van Beest.
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