Unravelling solutions for Future Food problems

Dr. Denise de Ridder serves as Professor of Psychology at Utrecht University's Department of Social, Health & Organizational Psychology and director of the Self-Regulation Lab. Through her Coursera course "Unravelling solutions for Future Food problems," she helps students understand complex global food challenges from an interdisciplinary perspective. Her research focuses on self-regulation, self-control, and nudging, leading several research projects funded by NWO and other organizations. As senior editor of Health Psychology Review and monthly columnist for NRC Handelsblad, she actively contributes to public discourse on behavioral insights for policy making. Her expertise spans consumer behavior, health psychology, and behavioral change, particularly in food-related contexts. Working with colleagues from law, economics, and public administration, she contributes to the Behavior and Institutions stream within Utrecht University's strategic theme Institutions for Open Societies. Her teaching combines psychological theory with practical applications in addressing global food challenges and promoting healthy choices

Dr. Rens Voesenek serves as Professor of Plant Ecophysiology and Head of the Biology Department at Utrecht University. Through his Coursera course "Unravelling Solutions for Future Food Problems," he helps students understand complex food security challenges from a plant biology perspective. His research focuses on how plants cope with environmental stresses, particularly flooding, leading to important insights about plant adaptation mechanisms. As leader of the Plant-Environment Signaling research group for over 20 years, he has made significant contributions to understanding plant hormone concentrations and stress responses

Dr. Marca Wauben serves as Professor of Intercellular Communication at Utrecht University's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Through her Coursera course "Unravelling Solutions for Future Food Problems," she helps students understand cellular communication's role in food production and biological systems. Her research focuses on how cells communicate via extracellular vesicles, particularly examining their role in immune system regulation. As head of her research group, she pioneered the development of high-resolution flow cytometry methods for analyzing nano-sized vesicles, enabling quantitative and qualitative analysis of individual particles. Her work investigates immune-regulatory vesicles in body fluids, including breast milk and blood, while exploring their potential as biomarkers and developing vesicle-inspired nano-carriers for clinical applications. Her expertise spans proteomics, genomics, and lipidomics approaches to understanding cellular communication, combining fundamental research with practical applications in veterinary and medical sciences.