Marieke Meeuwisse (Ph.D.) is full professor in Educational Sciences at Erasmus University Rotterdam. As a psychologist and sociologist with a Ph.D. in educational sciences, she draws on ideas from these disciplines, and especially diversity studies, for her work on student success and (in)equality in higher education (HE). She is strongly interested in the accessibility of HE, which means that she seeks to reveal mechanisms that ensure students who have the potential and ambition to reach and enrol in HE can and indeed do so, and that they can progress through HE successfully. 

Her research agenda on HE accessibility comprises four overarching and mutually reinforcing topics, namely a) educational transitions, particularly transitions in(to) HE, b) student senses of belonging in HE, c) formation of student social networks in HE, and d) professional identity development of students. As a Ph.D. student she worked on sense of belonging (b) and students’ meaningful interactions in HE (c), initially resulting in (inter)national use of her sense of belonging and interaction measures. Her (subsequent) work has created awareness of the importance of students’ belongingness and networks in HE, and their relevance to well-being and success. Because transitions are crucial to making HE accessible to a broader student population (a), this became a central focus in her research, contributing to a head start in HE for students in terms of their networks and success. Additionally, her research agenda is strengthened by her growing focus on professional identity development in HE (d), as identity formation is affected by social networks and seemingly plays a pivotal role in student senses of belonging and success.