I am an associate professor of Public Administration at the Department of Political Science. I am a member of the research group Public Administration & Management. Before joining the University of Antwerp, I was postdoctoral fellow of the Flemish Research Foundation and researcher at the Public Management Institute of the KULeuven. I was also a visiting expert at the Governance Directorate of the OECD in Paris. 

My main research interest is performance, performance measurement and management in the public sector.  I am studying the impact of performance management on performance as well as  the theoretical mechanisms that explain the (absence of) impact. Secondly, I study how performance management functions in complex  governance settings. In addition, I am currently working on a research agenda that explores the political dimensions of public administration, accountability for performance and participation. 

With Jostein Askim (University of Oslo, Norway) and Kai Wegrich (Hertie School of Governance in Berlin, Germany), I chair the EGPA Study Group on Performance in the Public Sector. I am a senior member of the Netherlands Institute of Government. My research has been published in prominent PA journals. My PhD was shortlisted for the Van Poelje award for best PhD in the Netherlands and Flanders (B). Occasionally, I act as an advisor to national and international governments. I did some work for the Flemish and Belgian government, as well as OECD and World Bank. I am also a member of the Strategic Advisory Council on Public Administration, which has to advice the Flemish government on all new legal initiatives in the field of Public Administration.