Archives: Boards
Ingibjörg Gunnarsdóttir
Ingibjörg Gunnarsdóttir is the Pro-Rector for Research and Society at the University of Iceland (UI). She holds a doctorate in Human Nutrition and has been a Professor in the Faculty of Food Science and Nutrition within the School of Health Sciences at UI since 2010. In the period 2013-2023 she also held the position as Head of the Units for Nutrition Research & Department of Clinical Nutrition at Landspitali University Hospital.
View her research profile.
Janette Walde
Janette Walde is an accomplished Austrian statistician and dedicated academic leader, currently serving as Vice Rector for Teaching and Students at Universität Innsbruck. In this role, she is responsible for the entire student life cycle, higher education didactics, digitalisation in teaching and learning, and the promotion of interdisciplinary and additional competencies. Her office also supports student services, student associations, and the development of teaching-related skills for academic staff.
Walde began her academic journey at the Akademisches Gymnasium Innsbruck and went on to study physics at Universität Innsbruck from 1987 to 1993. She then pursued doctoral studies at the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences, earning her PhD in 2000 with a focus on machine learning. Her postdoctoral research was supported by an Erwin Schrödinger Fellowship from the Austrian Science Fund, which took her to the Department of Economics at the University of California, San Diego (2001–2002). In 2006, she completed her habilitation in statistics and econometrics.
Walde has been a professor at the Department of Statistics at Universität Innsbruck since 2019 and has served as Dean of Studies at the Faculty of Economics and Statistics since 2021. On September 24, 2024, she was elected Vice Rector for Teaching and Students, officially taking office on October 1, 2024.
With a strong background in research and teaching, Janette Walde is known for her commitment to academic excellence, her advocacy for quality education, and her interdisciplinary work in statistical modeling across economics, biology, and medicine.
Ramon Puras
Professor Ramon Puras recently assumed the role of Secretary General at Aurora. With a PhD in biomedical sciences focusing on HIV research, he’s known for establishing the Amsterdam University College and in his previous role as Dean of the Faculty of Education at Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences.
Drawing from his extensive experience in higher education, Professor Puras is dedicated to enhancing programs by integrating cutting-edge research and emerging technologies. His passion for teaching the interdisciplinary course Gastronomy, the Art and Science of Cooking reflects his blend of interests in science, cooking, and education.
Alexander Lindemans
Alexander Lindemans is Programme Manager of Aurora. Originally from the Brussels region of Belgium, he holds a BA and MA in History from Ghent University and Charles University in Prague, and an MA in European Studies from the University of Amsterdam. He has worked in international education for a while, as an International Student Advisor at VU Amsterdam and as Academic Coordinator and Advisor for the PPE and Philosophy programmes.
Outside of work, he enjoys adventurous travel involving camping, bikepacking, and hiking and plays drums and piano.
Maria José Montaña Correa
Maria José is a multilingual Programme Manager with significant financial, administrative and operational experience. Her anthropological background has enabled her to develop effective communication skills at different levels and integral understanding of complex projects. She has worked and supervised different development projects in Colombia and had the opportunity to work in diplomacy in The Netherlands, representing Colombia and its economic and commercial interests. As Aurora 2030 Programme Manager, her main activities are maintaining the financial overview of the project, ensuring the health of the programme, and supporting the different stakeholders.
Pim de Boer
As senior strategic policy advisor EU and EU Liaison, Pim de Boer pro-actively enlarges visibility, reputation and competitiveness of VU Amsterdam and Aurora universities at EU authorities, EU services, academic institutions and other stakeholders in Europe. This entails providing advice on strategy and policies related to EU programmes and acquisition, networking, representation and lobbying in Brussels and other countries for VU and Aurora universities. To effectively achieve results, Pim involves scientists, lecturers and staff in EU-related policies, meetings and other activities. These tasks can be summarised as being a knowledge broker and bridging mediator. This also relates to his background as pathobiologist and assistant professor, director of research and grants at a charity and patient organisation, and entrepreneur combining societal and scientific engagement.
