Alumnus testimonial
Bart - Senior researcher at Fontys Smart Society
Bart did an internship at the Law and Governance Group of Wageningen University as a junior lecturer. He gave lectures in the field of food law and human rights. An internship that was essential to become the kind of professional he is today.
For me, the Law and Governance group has always been a wonderful collection of strong individuals who offer high quality education in a very exciting branch of legal studies.
How did you choose Wageningen University & Research?
"In 2004 I had the opportunity to do an internship at the Law and Governance group of Wageningen University. I was planning to do a master's thesis on human rights to earn my master’s degree in law at Tilburg University.
Since I was raised in a true teachers’ family and earned my didactic endorsement in my music studies, the choice to do an internship as a (very junior) lecturer in Wageningen may not be a big surprise. Under the 'wings' of Professor Bernd van der Meulen, I started to lecture in the field of food law and human rights. After graduating, I started to look for jobs as a teacher in law."
What is your current job?
"Since 2007 I work for Fontys University of Applied Sciences. Currently, I am a senior researcher for Fontys Smart Society in the economic domain. I am involved in teaching subjects in the field of international law and business ethics.
During my work at Fontys, I did an external PhD trajectory. This means that I wrote my PhD-thesis during workhours. However, frankly, I wrote it during weekends, nights, and holidays. In 2013 I successfully defended my PhD thesis, a book entitles: ‘The human rights to adequate food, a comparative study’. In the book, I addressed the issue of the enforceability of economic, social and cultural rights in industrialized states, using comparative law methods. This defence embarked the end of an intense period in which I travelled back and forth to Wageningen to meet my promotor, and occasionally served as a guest-lecturer on issues that relate to human rights and comparative law methodology."
How did studying at Wageningen University & Research prepare you for your career?
"For me, the Law and Governance group has always been a wonderful collection of strong individuals who offer high quality education in a very exciting branch of legal studies. I always feel very welcomed in their midst and consider myself a friend of the group. For my career, the internship and PhD-study have been essential to become the kind of professional I am today. It enabled me to combine my passions in education and law. Since then, I publish regularly academically on the human right aspects of food law.
Furthermore, I wrote several textbooks on business ethics, and a book on international business law, using the methodology I developed during my PhD-research. I had the privilege to co-edit and co-author a liber amicorum to Prof. Van der Meulen when he left Wageningen, which resulted in a collection of academic chapters on food law ‘The functional field of food law, reconciling the market and human rights’."
What is your research focused on?
"Currently, my research focuses on moral programming in smart technology. Something completely different, although the fundaments of human rights are crucial in developing an ethical roadmap for the programming of smart technology in the economic domain. I am privileged to teach a variety of students in both HBO (applied sciences) and WO (sciences) curricula and enjoy their hunger and enthusiasm to learn. Next to that, I also have a career in music, and work as a performer (drums, mallets), composer and conductor."