Mirte
Nederlof

With her Master’s degree in Behaviour Change, Mirte (2001) is deeply engaged with the question of why people make certain choices. She considers this understanding essential when it comes to everyday decisions, such as commuting. For her, applying behavioural insights to promote sustainable mobility represents the perfect combination.

During her Psychology studies at Radboud University Nijmegen, Mirte increasingly came into contact with mobility-related topics. She was particularly intrigued by the differences in mobility between rural and urban areas, and how these evolve over time. A semester in Australia further highlighted the international contrasts. This continually raised the question: do people always stand fully behind their choice of transport mode, or is it often driven by habit or convenience? Afterwards, Mirte began her Master’s in Behaviour Change, where she focused mainly on mobility-related cases. For instance, she first worked on a project addressing the high number of cars involved in school drop-offs and pick-ups. Eventually, this evolved into her thesis research on the greening of inland shipping. Now, Mirte aims to focus primarily on making mobility policies within organisations and companies more sustainable.

“I used to cycle more than an hour to my secondary school. It wasn’t until I started studying in Nijmegen that I realised this wasn’t the norm. Even in a city where cycling is usually faster, many still prefer the car. I’m convinced that the car doesn’t need to be the default transport mode, and I’m committed to promoting sustainable mobility.”