Dr. Mindel van de Laar is director of the capacity development office at UNU-MERIT and Maastricht University. She manages the offering of executive certificate programmes and tailor made projects that aim to train working professionals in the field of public policy and development.
Mindels research focuses on innovations in higher education and capacity building, with specific focus on doctoral education, online and hybrid education and diversity in education. With her team, the capacity development office stresses the importance of translating educational programmes to serve the capacities and needs of professionals and make the learning applicable in the field, which requires a more broad and enhanced understanding of the term “making impact”. From 2010-2021 she was the programme director of the dual career PhD programme in Governance and Policy Analysis at UNU-MERIT. From 2006-2010 she was the PhD programme director of both the full time and dual career PhD programmes for the Maastricht Graduate School of Governance at Maastricht University. Mindel holds a PhD in Economics (2004) and a MSc in International Economic Studies (1997) from Maastricht University.
