A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step 
- Laozi

Welcome to my page! I am Rens, a PhD at the Dutch Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations and the Leiden University Medical Center, investigating the design and implementation of authorization mechanisms based on linked data in real world contexts. 

I have a background in astronomy (I have the title image printed out and hanging above my desk at home), which to this day remains a large passion of mine even though I do not get to spend any of my time in astronomical research sadly. Nevertheless, I am finding lots of joy in embarking in my new roles as a researcher at the edge between IT and ethnography, and my role as IT-specialist within the Dutch Government.

On this page I aim to share my (scientific) endavours to keep those interested up to date in my activities. And also as a nice reflection point at some time in the future to see what young-PhD me was up to. Enjoy your stay here! My publications can be found in the banner up top, while below are some of my recent thoughts and developments digitaly printed out.

Research Proposal V0.2 sent out

While writing a research proposal has felt like my boulder for the past half year, with every week it seems as though the end is finally in sight. …

Read more
Image of biological pots and egg cartons with dirt in them. Behind them stand two empty packets with seeds, one shows strawberries, the other cucumbers.

Botanical Experiment

This year I have decided to start along the road of "self-sustainability" by attempting to grow my own vegetable, fruits and herbs. This even has …

Read more