I am a PhD researcher in computer science at KU Leuven in Belgium, and hold two Masters of Science: one in Mathematics (fundamental mathematics, Vrije Universiteit Brussel), and one in Applied Informatics (multimedia, KU Leuven). So yes, I love scientific research, continuous learning, and tackling multidisciplinary challenges!
Hear how you can pronounce my Dutch name in English.Research interests
My research is situated in human-computer interaction, which investigates how people interact with machines. This is extremely broad. I am especially interested in explainable artificial intelligence, which studies how the outcomes of artificial intelligence algorithms can be explained to a specific audience (especially laypeople). For example, I am interested in how transparency affects people's trust in algorithms, whether it leads to making more accurate decisions and a better understanding of how the algorithms work, etc. In particular, I study how visual analytics can help in this endeavour. Visual analytics systems contain interactive visualisations with which people can explore algorithmic outcomes and steer the underlying algorithms.
Mathematical interests
Mathematics is present in many of my activities. For example, I founded Wiski, a learning platform for secondary school mathematics, which tries to increase students' motivation with tailored gamification. Together with students whose master's thesis I guide, I use Wiski to study how gamification impacts motivation, how exercises can be recommended based on students' needs, and how recommendations can be explained. In my free time, I also contribute to educational mathematics videos for die Keure, a publisher of course materials that are widely used in Belgium.
