Projects per year
Personal profile
Quote
“Sustainability assessments should be fact-based, value-driven and change-oriented.”
Research profile
Arjan Kirkels is an Assistant Professor in the department Industrial Engineering & Innovation Sciences at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). His areas of expertise include technology assessment and sustainability assessments, in particular for the energy transition and the circular economy. Arjan’s research deals with assessment and implementation of sustainable technologies and is at the intersection of industrial ecology, feasibility studies and innovation sciences. He typically follows a multi-disciplinary approach, often combining multiple methods.
Arjan has a particular interest in critical sustainability assessments. On the one hand, these build on measuring and scoring ‘hard’ criteria related to sustainability (e.g. people, planet and profit dimensions); and on the other hand they deal with subjectivity (e.g. stakeholder preferences and conflicting views or framing). On top of this, these assessments have to deal with large uncertainties, which requires a robust approach. Besides deepening scientific insight in this field, Arjan supports an action-based approach – as sustainability and innovation can only be achieved by making real changes.
Academic background
Arjan Kirkels studied Technology and Society at TU/e, graduating in 2000 on a thesis on municipal waste incineration. From 1995-2008, he worked as senior lecturer at TU/e for the center Technology for Sustainable Development (TDO). From 2008 he continued this position within the TIS group. In 2016 he obtained his PhD for his thesis on developments and trajectories of biomass gasification, and he was appointed as assistant professor. Arjan has been involved in setting up and teaching of more than 15 courses, wrote several readers, supervised many student projects on a variety of topics (thesis and multidisciplinary projects), and participated in networks on sustainability in education.
Student work includes projects on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Multi Criteria Analysis (MCA), feasibility studies, business models, discourse analysis and design based approaches on a variety of sustainable technologies – including energy from biomass, new energy carriers, solar PV and energy in the built environment. Arjan also publishes regularly in key international journals, including Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews and Energy for Sustainable Development.
Fingerprint
Network
Projects
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cVPP: Community-based Virtual Power Plant
Wieczorek, A. J., Wieczorek, A. J., van Summeren, L. F. M., Van den Berghe, L. H. G. J., Verbong, G. P. J., Groenewoudt, A. C., Kirkels, A. F., Alkemade, F. & Papachristos, G.
20/09/17 → 30/06/22
Project: Research direct
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Historical Roots of the Dutch Sustainability Challenge
Lintsen, H. W., Veraart, F. C. A. & Kirkels, A. F.
1/02/12 → 31/12/16
Project: Research direct
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KSI - Transition of Dutch Society
Lambert, A. J. D. (., Lintsen, H. W., Lintsen, H. W., Veraart, F. C. A., van Hooff, W. H. P. M. (., Kirkels, A. F. & Schippers, J. L. (.
1/05/09 → 1/09/10
Project: Research direct
Research output
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Ready for the road? A Socio-technical Investigation of Fire Safety Improvement Options for Lithium-ion Traction Batteries
Kirkels, A. F., Bleker, J. & Romijn, H., 1 Oct 2020, (Submitted) In : Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. XX, XXResearch output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review
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Sustainability indicators
Kirkels, A. F., 2020, 25 p. Eindhoven University of Technology.Research output: Other contribution › Academic
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System analysis and system thinking
Kirkels, A. F., 2020, 32 p. Eindhoven University of Technology.Research output: Other contribution › Academic
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What & how? 6 lessons on system integration
Kirkels, A. F., 2020, 106 p. Eindhoven University of Technology.Research output: Other contribution › Academic
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Assessment tools for sustainability
Kirkels, A. F., 2019Research output: Non-textual form › Digital or Visual Products › Professional
Open AccessFile1 Downloads (Pure)
Prizes
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Best Teacher Award 1st year Bachelor Sustainable Innovation (2012-13, 2017-18)
Kirkels, Arjan F. (Recipient), 2019
Prize: TU/e › Other › Scientific
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Nominee Best Teacher bachelor SI & master IS (multiple years)
Kirkels, Arjan F. (Recipient), 2019
Prize: TU/e › Other › Scientific
Activities
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Inspiration session - online teaching
Arjan F. Kirkels (Speaker)
26 Jan 2021Activity: Talk or presentation types › Contributed talk › Professional
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Inspiration session - online courses
Arjan F. Kirkels (Speaker)
11 Jun 2020Activity: Talk or presentation types › Contributed talk › Professional
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Inter-university Sustainability Challenge
Arjan F. Kirkels (Organiser)
2020 → 2021Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Workshop, seminar, course or exhibition › Scientific
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Education W (Organisational unit)
Arjan F. Kirkels (Member)
1 Jun 2019 → 31 May 2023Activity: Membership types › Membership of committee › Professional
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Innovation Challenge 2014 (Event)
Arjan F. Kirkels (Member)
2014 → 2016Activity: Membership types › Membership of jury › Popular
Courses
Press / Media
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Je eigen circulariteit meten
Alice Consolaro, Henny A. Romijn & Arjan F. Kirkels
12/01/21
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Public Engagement Activities
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Onderzoek naar energieneutraal Peel en Maas
7/02/18
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Public Engagement Activities
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Impacts
Student theses
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Analyse en optimalisatie energiehuishouding bij AVR-AVIRA afvalverbranding te Duiven
Author: Kirkels, A., 31 Aug 2000Supervisor: Verbong, G. (Supervisor 1)
Student thesis: Master
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