Team
Founder & Director
prof. Dr. Paul Smeets
Paul is the founder and director of Impact Lab Amsterdam. He is a professor of philanthropy and sustainable finance at the University of Amsterdam
PhD student
Robin Aarts
Robin conducts field experiments and mainly focuses on the effectiveness of various charitable projects. She has a background in Development Economics.
PhD student
Samara Cooper
Samara studies the motivations of donors to give effectively. She has a background in Education and Economics.
Associate consultant
Eric Korsten
Eric has extensive experience in assessing and enhancing performance of development organizations and programs. He addresses scalability and sustainability of results.
Post-doc
Dr. Janek Kretschmer
Studies the motivations of donors to give effectively. He has a background in Economics and Philosophy.
PhD student
Andy Li
Andy studies the effectiveness of impact investments and Development Finance Institutions. He has a background in Econometrics and Finance.
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Executive assistant
Anna zwart
Anna is the backbone of the research group. She ensures everything runs smoothly, manages our schedules and supports the team with administrative tasks and organizational assistance.