Nanda Piersma new Crown member of the Social Economic Council

Piersma is the first ever SER member from the higher education sector (hbo)

20 Jun 2022 12:33

Professor Nanda Piersma of Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences has been appointed crown member of the Social and Economic Council (SER). This marks the first time that a professor from the field of higher professional education has been appointed a crown member of the SER.

Piersma was selected because of her expertise in the field of digitisation. According to the SER, digitisation is an increasingly relevant issue. Piersma lectures on Responsible IT at the AUAS. She is also science director of the AUAS Centre of Expertise for Applied Artificial Intelligence. In addition, Piersma is involved in various national networks on data science, such as the Practical ICT Research Platform (Prio) and the Netherlands AI Coalition (NLAIC).

Piersma was happy to accept the invitation to join the SER. "I look forward to giving my views on socio-economic issues from my expertise in the field of digitisation. It is both my passion and my mission to get digitisation applied in a responsible way. In the SER, I can give advice on key issues. And in the other networks I belong to, I can help to develop tangible proposals. So these two roles complement each other wonderfully."

AUAS Rector Geleyn Meijer is also pleased with Piersma's appointment. "Applied research provides useful and applicable solutions to social problems and is the driving force behind the innovative power of the Netherlands. It is therefore appropriate that Nanda Piersma, with her expertise and extensive network, should be appointed to the SER. The AUAS is extremely proud that Nanda is taking up this position, as the first crown member from the higher professional education sector."

About the SER

The Social and Economic Council is an advisory body consisting of employees, entrepreneurs and independent experts, the so-called crown members. The council advises the government and parliament on the main lines of socio-economic policy. Its members offer their opinion while taking into account the interests of various parties. In addition, the SER has administrative duties for the business community, on the basis of the Works Councils Act. SER members get appointed for two years at a time.