With a distinguished academic background and extensive leadership experience, Jonkman brings a strategic and connecting leadership style. She is strongly committed to diversity, sustainability, and academic responsibility, and views universities as key actors in shaping a more just and resilient society.
Under her leadership, VU Amsterdam advances its profile as an institution where disciplinary boundaries are crossed and where education and research are closely aligned with societal challenges. The university strengthens its engagement with external partners and creates space for new forms of collaboration, enabling knowledge to contribute more directly to societal and economic developments.
A defining element of Jonkman’s leadership is her connecting style. She brings together perspectives from across disciplines and sectors, and encourages researchers and students to take initiative and explore new ideas. By fostering an open and collaborative environment, she enables innovation and entrepreneurship while safeguarding academic integrity and a strong sense of societal responsibility.
Through this approach, Jonkman reinforces VU Amsterdam’s role as a university that combines academic excellence with societal engagement, and that contributes to sustainable development, inclusive progress, and the strengthening of the Netherlands’ knowledge and innovation ecosystem.
