Nava Tintarev takes a leading role in national computer science platforms
As of January 2026, Nava Tintarev, Professor of Explainable AI at Maastricht University’s Department of Advanced Computing Sciences (DACS), will join the boards of two of the Netherlands’ most prestigious computer science platforms.
First, she will chair the Round Table Computer Science, a consultative committee that advises the Dutch Research Council (NWO) on its strategy for computer science research. In 2025, Tintarev served as a regular member, where she addressed issues such as the low success rate of computer science funding proposals. She also contributed to the development of assessment criteria for NWO’s Open Competition for curiosity-driven, innovative and fundamental research and participated in the Exact and Natural Sciences strategy day, with a focus on AI.
ICT-onderzoek Platform Nederland
Second, she will become a board member of the ICT-onderzoek Platform Nederland (IPN), a national organisation that unites and represents academics in the ICT field. IPN serves as a central point of contact for all matters related to ICT innovation and its societal impact, both now and in the future. The platform fosters a national community, shapes policy to advance the field, and actively promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion by encouraging the participation of women and under-represented groups in ICT. Among its achievements, IPN has helped coordinate the Dutch sector plans in informatics.
In her everyday work at DACS, Tintarev leads a research programme specialising in explainable and human-centred artificial intelligence. She addresses critical limitations in current AI systems, including the unbalanced representation of information in search results, images, or videos. As she notes: “Responsible computer science does not emerge from technical excellence alone. It requires critical dialogue across disciplines, accountability to real-world practice, and policy frameworks that can strengthen and inspire innovation at a systemic level. My work is about bringing these spheres together to ensure AI serves society, not the other way around.”
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