Marieke van Geel

Marieke van Geel has been working as a lecturer-researcher within the New Entrepreneurship research group since August 2024. She also works as a lecturer and coach in Business Administration for the Academy of Management & Finance, and as a curriculum developer for the master’s program Sustainable Innovation.

Expertise

Marieke is passionate about contributing to sustainable and complex challenges in collaboration with organizations. She brings to this work her expertise in HRM and business administration. Her approach involves working closely with diverse stakeholders during research projects to identify root causes of problems and improve processes. She gains energy from guiding others through the research process and watching them grow along the way.

Research

Before joining Avans, Marieke worked as an HRM manager at Syndion, a care organization for people with physical and/or intellectual disabilities. There, she conducted research into how HRM can contribute to the organization’s strategic goals.

At Avans, she has carried out research on student population growth and on how students can graduate in a way that creates real impact. A publication about this work appeared in Th&ma Hoger Onderwijs.

Over the past several years, Marieke has coached numerous HRM and Business Administration students during their (graduation) research projects at a wide range of organizations. She continues to supervise multiple graduating students this academic year.

Currently, Marieke is collaborating with Elena Lomeli Aguirre on research involving several external organizations. Together, they are investigating how to foster a culture where individual ways of thinking are brought together to create shared values and new narratives within a collective context.

Career

Marieke has been with Avans since January 2017. She began as a lecturer and graduation coordinator at the Academy for Part-Time Studies, where she worked across multiple programs, including HRM, Business, and Public Administration. Later, she contributed to launching the HRM program at the Avans Associate Degrees Academy.

Before joining Avans, Marieke held HRM manager roles at several healthcare institutions, where she advised management on human capital strategies and led HR departments.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in HRM, and two master’s degrees: one in Management & Innovation and one in Business Administration.