Geert-Jan Houben
Digital Society Programme Leader
Geert-Jan Houben is one of the programme leaders of the Digital Society programme. As pro-vice-rector for AI, data and digitisation and professor at TU Delft, he is involved in many programmes and initiatives at the intersection of technology and society. To promote the scientific impact of research into digital technology and AI, it is crucial that there are good contacts between scientists from different disciplines and between these scientists and social actors. The Digital Society programme facilitates these contacts and thus plays an important role in this connection, especially for scientists at the start of their careers.
Hariëtte Riese
Digital Society Programme Leader
Harriëtte Riese is one of the Programme Leader of the Digital Society Program. As an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Groningen/University Medical Center Groningen, she focuses on advancing personalised mental health care through the integration of digital tools into clinical practice. Her research includes the use digital diaries and actigraphy to better understand individual’s psychopathological mechanisms and to tailor interventions accordingly. She contributes to bridging the gap between academic research and clinical implementation, with the goal of improving patient outcomes. Within the Digital Society Program, she advocates for interdisciplinary collaboration between technology, healthcare, and the social sciences, to realise responsible and effective digital transformations in mental health care.
Stefan Buijsman
Digital Society Programme Leader
Stefan Buijsman is one of the Programme Leader of the Digital Society Program. As Associate Professor in Ethics of Artificial Intelligence he works on connecting ethical and societal values for AI development to concrete design and governance requirements. In addition he co-leads the Delft Digital Ethics Centre which actively links ethics research to implementation projects of AI in high-risk areas such as healthcare and public services. Interdisciplinary research and connections to society are crucial for these endeavors to operationalize responsible AI, and the Digital Society Program plays an important role in facilitating these connections.
Deborah Bozzato
Digital Society Programme Manager
Deborah Bozzato has been Digital Society programme manager since 1 April 2025 (part time, succeeding the previous PM Sjoerd Meinhuizen). With her experience in leading projects in education and research, Deborah decided to take on also this new challenge and contribute to the ambitious plans of the Digital Society programme: The challenges posed by digitisation require a multi- and interdisciplinary effort in academic commitment, with universities in the lead together with partners in business, government and society. By continuing this network, Deborah aims to facilitate the organisation of conferences, science tables and other collaborations that characterise the Digital Society programme since 2018.
Marcel Broersma
Digital Society Programme leader
Marcel Broersma is one of the programme leaders of the Digital Society programme. As professor of Media and Journalism Studies at the University of Groningen, his research focuses on the transformation of journalism and media use in a digital information ecology, and on digital inclusion and informed citizenship in the digital society.
Broersma is involved in a broad range of projects and initiatives to understand digital transitions and design interventions. He is chairing the Digital Literacy Coalition, a consortium of governments, knowledge institutions, cultural organizations, healthcare institutions and companies, that aims to foster digital literacy and inclusion in the Northern Netherlands and is leading the Centre for Digital Inclusion at the University of Groningen. As a coordinator of the SSH Sectorplan on Prosperity, Participation and Citizenship in a Digital World he stimulates interdisciplinary research on this cutting-edge theme.
Frederik Zuiderveen Borgesius
Digital Society Programme leader
Frederik Zuiderveen Borgesius is professor of ICT and law. He works at the iHub, part of Radboud University in The Netherlands. The iHub is the interdisciplinary research hub on digitalization and society. Frederik is a law professor but teaches mostly at the computer science department. His research predominantly concerns fundamental rights, such as the right to privacy and non-discrimination rights, in the context of new technologies. He often enriches legal research with insights from other disciplines. He has co-operated with, for instance, economists, computer scientists, and communication scholars. He regularly advises policymakers,and has given expert testimony at the Dutch and the European parliaments, and committees of the Council of Europe and the United Nations.
Zohal Faizi
Digital Society Student Assistant
Zohal Faizi is a MSc BA Strategic Innovation Management student from the Faculty of Economics and Business of the University of Groningen. Within this organisation Zohal is responsible for the website management and supports Deborah, Marcel and Geert-Jan where needed. She has been with the organisation for longer than a year now and has organised the last Digital Society Conference as well.
