Dr C. Beumer
Dr. Carijn Beumer
Assistant Professor in Planetary Health and Global Health
Maastricht University, Department of Health, Ethics and Society
Research interests: Planetary Health, Nature Connectedness and Existential Wellbeing, Sustainability, Socio-Ecosystems, Systems Thinking and Complexity Dynamics, Globalization.
I studied Culture and Science Studies at Maastricht University, and defended my PhD in Sustainability Science with Prof. Pim Martens -- Stepping Stone Cities -- about biodiversity conservation in an urban context, in 2014 at the same university. The reciprocal relationship between people and nature has always been the red ribbon in my studies and work. I was especially interested in the way people design and maintain their gardens and how that contributes to sustainable urban environments, but also the psychological connection and the meaning of nature in people's life always interested me. In 2014, I started working in the Ethics department (HES) of the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Science, where I found my passion in teaching Planetary Health, Complexity Theory, Globalization, all interrelated topics in the Global Health Master program, and in the Bachelor program European Public Health.
Next to teaching and research, I love to take my knowledge on the existential relation between people and the planet towards a hands-on practice: I regularly provide workshops on nature connectedness, and offer them to staff and students in order to step out, (re)connect, and offer some practical tools for increasing existential wellbeing in our times of multi-crisis.
Lastly, I am your union representative in the Local Consultancy body (Lokaal Overleg) for the Union for Education (AOb). In case you have questions about union membership, or in case you encounter work related issues, don't hesitate to get in touch. Together we care for your employee interests.
Expertises
Planetary Health, Existential Wellbeing, Systems Thinking & Complexity Theory, Sustainability Science, Cultural Theory, Discourse Analysis.
Loopbaan
Carijn Beumer has a background is in Culture and Science Studies (MA), which she studied at Maastricht University. In 2007 she started working as a Junior Researcher and Lecturer at the International Centre for Integrated Assessment and Sustainable Development (ICIS) at Maastricht University. There, she worked on a variety of projects, including the INTERREG IV funded ‘SUN project’ (Sustainable Urban Neighbourhoods) (2009-2012). In April 2009 she got involved in Leren voor Duurzame Ontwikkeling (LVDO), a project on ‘Sustainability in Education’ in the Province of Limburg. Since 2014, Carijn has been the research coordinator for Operatie Steenbreek, a Dutch initiative carried by various knowledge institutions (including Groningen University, Wageningen UR), societal organizations, and municipalities to make domestic gardens more biodiverse and turn the trend of paving gardens.
Next to research Carijn was involved in setting up the MSc programme Sustainability Science and Policy, and in teaching, coordinating and developing various Sustainability and Planetary Health related courses on Bachelor and Master level at the Maastricht Graduate School of Governance (MGSoG), the University College Maastricht (UCM), and the Maastricht University Graduate School of Sustainability Science (MUST). She coordinated and developed the course Global Dynamics in the MSc course Sustainability Science and Policy.
In 2014 Carijn successfully defended her dissertation ‘Stepping Stone Cities? Exploring Urban Greening and Gardening as a Viable Contribution to Global Biodiversity Conservation’. During her dissertation research, which partly took place at the Global Institute of Sustainability at Arizona State University (2012), Carijn developed the BIMBY method, which is now increasingly being used by Dutch municipalities to assess the contribution of domestic gardens to a sustainable urban living environment. Also Carijn was involved in initiating Operatie Steenbreek, now Stichting Steenbreek, which has the aim to bring awareness and action towards the Planetary importance of green gardens.
In 2015 Carijn got a position as an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences (Department of Health, Ethics and Society), where she continues her research on the role of domestic green spaces for sustainable urban living environments, while extending it with a focus on ecosystem services and nature connectedness for health and existential well-being.
With regards to teaching, Carijn is involved in teaching and coordinating amongst others Planetary Health oriented Master courses of the Global Health programme, the Bachelor European Public Health, and Medicine.