New Director appointed for Amsterdam campus

Northumbria University has appointed Professor Christine De Lille as Director of its European campus based at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS).

Professor De Lille joins Northumbria from The Hague University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands, where she has held the positions of Professor of Innovation Networks and Co-Director of the Centre for Expertise “Mission Zero” – a research group working to create zero-carbon economies. With extensive research experience and expertise in the areas of design, management, living labs and systemic design, Professor De Lille has worked closely with industry partners such as Royal Dutch Airlines (KLM). She has also secured large scale funded projects, such as Horizon2020, RVO (Dutch National Government), and funding from industry.

A regular guest speaker at other universities, Professor De Lille will retain active relationships with both the Hague University of Applied Sciences and Delft University of Technology, with whom she has established close links over the years and through which opportunities for future collaboration in Europe can be explored. She also continues to hold professional affiliations and memberships with internationally-recognised organisations including the Service Design Network, the Design Management Institute and the DesignResearch Society.

Commenting on her appointment Professor De Lille said: “This is an exciting time to be joining Northumbria and to build on the success of my predecessor Robert de Boer. As a challenger university Northumbria is known for innovation and a willingness to embrace change – all values international students are looking for, especially here in the Netherlands.  I want to help take this forward and create a vibrant campus which is international in outlook, focused on research-informed learning and teaching and collaboration with leading partners.” 

“With the courses and flexibility of study offered, the Northumbria Amsterdam campus is already attracting high-quality students from around the world who are looking to gain a valued UK-accredited degree from a university with an international reputation for excellence. I believe this is a solid platform for continued growth.”

Lucy Winskell OBE, Pro Vice-Chancellorat Northumbria with strategic lead for Amsterdam, added: “With considerable opportunities for growth in Amsterdam, both for postgraduate and under-graduate study, and for further strengthening our partnership with AUAS, we are delighted to appoint Professor De Lille as our new campus Director. Her track-record in research, teaching and international collaboration make her the ideal candidate to take the campus to the next stage. I look forward to working with Professor De Lille as we use our presence in Europe to support our research and international collaborations, offer greater overseas study opportunities and enhance the overall learning experience for our students.”

In 2016 Professor De Lille was elected Best Teacher of Industrial Design at Delft University of Technology, and in 2019 she  was named ‘Industry Provocateur’ by specialist aviation media group the Future Travel Experience. She is also a member of the Board of Advice of Fundamentals Academy – an international community of design professionals - a former board member of the Design Management Network and a frequent organiser of conferences such as the Global Service Design Conference, Academic Design Management Conference, Research through Design and International Association of Societies of Design Research  (IASDR).