Julia Wijnmaalen & Julieta Matos Castaño

Author Julia Wijnmaalen (Amsterdam, 1984): After her high school graduation, Julia left the Netherlands to attend an American high school as an exchange student. She returned to the Netherlands in 2003 for studies in international relations, social psychology and humanitarian assistance at the University of Groningen. These degrees in combination with her teaching experience made her an excellent candidate for a PhD. A process she consciously stepped into in May 2010 at the University of Twente and the Netherlands Defense Academy. As the only social scientist in the department of (military) engineering her research on the role of intergroup behavior in complex projects was often received with an undefinable ‘awe’ by her colleagues. Nonetheless, Julia was not discouraged and defended her thesis in September 2015. Julia works as a consultant at the NS, assistant professor at the University of Twente, and serves as an army reserve officer. Interested in Julia's career steps, follow her on Linkedin.

Illustrator Julieta Matos Castaño: Julieta was born in sunny Madrid in the 80s. Being curious and restless, she has followed an unconventional career path. Interested in aviation, she studied airport planning at the Technical University of Madrid. After living in Paris and getting professional experience in engineering consulting firms, Julieta took her suitcase to move to the Netherlands in 2009. At the University of Twente, she studied a master’s in construction management and engineering. These studies sparked her enthusiasm for research and collaboration. During her PhD, Julieta created a cool ‘dilemma cube’ that helps to solve dilemmas in multidisciplinary teams. After her PhD, she worked as a change management consultant where she learned a lot about the corporate world and about herself. Now, Julieta works as a postdoctoral researcher bringing together design and philosophy of technology. Besides, she works as a creative consultant in the field of futures design and immersive experiences. Someday, Julieta would like to be a famous writer and painter. Interested in Julieta’s next steps? Follow her on Twitter: @Henriqueta_Dorr or LinkedIn.