Here you will find information about the current board members of the Central PhD Council.

Wenwen Guan – Faculty of Humanities

Wenwen is a PhD candidate at the Amsterdam Center for Language and Communication (ACLC). Her research looks into the use of metadiscourse in Asian learners’ English writing and speaking, combining both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The findings are expected to help language learners improve their communicative skills at the discourse level. Wenwen started her PhD in 2020 and represents the Faculty of Humanities (FGw) in the Central PhD Council as of November 2022.

Timo Schenk – Faculty of Economics and Business

Timo Schenk is a PhD candidate of the Econometrics group at the Amsterdam School of Economics (ASE). His research aims to improve the statistical tools used to evaluate the effect of policy changes on economic outcomes. He is interested in applications in environmental economics, labor economics and health economics. Timo started his PhD in September 2020 and represents the Faculty of Economics and Business in the Central PhD Council since July 2022.

Anke van den Dries – Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences

Anke is a PhD candidate at the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR). Before starting the PhD, Anke worked as a social worker and coach/supervisor for social professionals. She specialized in social work with sex workers. For the PhD, Anke is interested how social work practitioners fight against systemic obstacles or social injustices in their everyday practices. She started the PhD in January 2023 and joined the Central PhD Council on behalf of the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences as of November 2024. As an external PhD, she hopes to specifically also bring that perspective to the council. PhD colleagues are welcome anytime to contact Anke with ideas or concerns.

Miriam Heipertz – Faculty of Law

Miriam Heipertz is a PhD Candidate at the Department for International and European Law. Her research examines the historic evolution of property conceptions in environmental law, with a focus on how certain frameworks reinforce unsustainable extractivist and colonial practices. By tracing the historical dynamics between competing notions of property, Miriam aims to shed light on their influence within environmental law and the role of the European Union in shaping these debates. 

Miriam began her PhD journey in September 2023. As of November 2024, she represents the Faculty of Law at the University of Amsterdam on the Central PhD Council, contributing to university-wide discussions on research and academic policy.

Kelly Wong – Faculty of Science

Kelly Wong is a PhD candidate in the Department of Freshwater and Marine Ecology of the Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics. Her research aims to advance the understanding of the effects of climate and environmental changes on corals, as well as to identify mechanisms that enhance coral stress tolerance under future ocean conditions. Kelly started her PhD in August 2022 and joined the Central PhD Council board as the FNWI representative in April 2024.

Annemiek ter Wee - Faculty of Medicine

Annemiek is a PhD candidate at the Department of Biomedical Engineering & Physics at the Amsterdam UMC. Her research focuses on a non-invasive diagnostic tool for knee implant loosening. Her aim is to identify the potential effects of image quality, image processing techniques and mechanical bone properties on the current method, and propose optimizations. She started her PhD in April 2023 and represents the Faculty of Medicine in the Central PhD Council since October 2023.

Joanita van Santen – Faculty of Dentistry

Joanita is a PhD candidate in the Department of Oral Biochemistry at the ACTA. Her research focuses on the regional salivary profiling of Sjögren’s disease patients. Her aim is to identify salivary biomarkers to enable easier screening/diagnosis of Sjögren’s disease. She started her PhD in December 2022 and represents the Faculty of Dentistry in the Central PhD Council since November 2023.