Ties van Daal Visiting Researcher

Ties works as a researcher at DRIFT on the “Transition Ateliers” project, where he applies his creativity and design skills to accelerate transitions through affect, imagination, and co-creation. He combines the tireless curiosity of a philosopher with a practical mindset, essential for any transition.

Based on the analysis that in today’s economy, financial logic overly determines the horizon of what is possible, Ties is interested in—and hopeful about—initiatives that implement alternative organizational models in practice, in which the social and ecological aspects of the economy are revalued. Practices that prepare for and experiment with transitions inspire Ties in recognizing and developing alternatives despite persistent systemic barriers.

Ties has a background in business economics and philosophy. He obtained a BSc in Business Economics and a BA in Philosophy from Tilburg University, as well as an MA in Societal Transitions and an MA in Philosophy Now from Erasmus University Rotterdam. Before joining DRIFT, he worked as a tutorial lecturer and research assistant at Tilburg University and Eindhoven University of Technology. At the DIT-Platform (Design Impact Transition) at Erasmus University Rotterdam, he contributed as a research assistant to studies on radical imagination, transitions, and science, while also coordinating the Sustainable Finance Seminars.

In his free time, Ties enjoys reading, listening to obscure music, playing sports, and having long dinners with friends and family.