Cultivated meat emerges as an innovative food product with the potential to address the challenges of the conventional meat industry. Moreover, the technology proves to be a potential option for consumers seeking to align with ethical considerations without altering their dietary preferences. Despite its promise, one significant barrier is consumer acceptability, which may be influenced by factors such as the low awareness of cultivated meat, alongside other challenges such as pricing and production scalability. This novel food has become an emerging topic in both parliamentary and (social) media discussions. This study aims to uncover the perspectives of diverse stakeholders within the Dutch cultivated meat ecosystem, aiming to create an effective communication tool for increasing consumer awareness of cultivated meat.

To comprehend the tone of voice of different stakeholders, sentiment analysis was conducted on textual data from Twitter, newspapers, and parliamentary proceedings. The analysis revealed predominantly positive sentiments. Specifically, percentages below the neutral midpoint were observed at 20.4%, 26.7%, and 32.5% for each respective textual data source. Additionally, topic modelling analysis revealed prevalent frames across these documents, including positive perceptions related to animal welfare and climate change. However, concerns about changes in current farming practices generated negative frames, fostering polarisation between supporters and opponents of cultivated meat.

Beyond textual data analysis, semi-structured interviews were conducted with key stakeholders, shedding light on their varying tones of voices and frames concerning cultivated meat. The findings indicated that the industry pictures cultivated meat as equivalent to conventional meat, farmers view it as unnatural, parliamentary frames emphasise animal welfare and environmental benefits, and consumers’ frames are influenced by demographic factors and political preferences. Based on insights from interviews and textual data analysis, a serious game was created to provide a user-friendly way of increasing awareness regarding cultivated meat and its complex stakeholder dynamics. This game serves to bridge the communication gap between experts and the public, facilitating an understanding of the societal implications of cultivated meat.

The integration of Home Energy Management Systems (HEMS) into Taiwan's smart grid infrastructure has been a cornerstone in enhancing energy efficiency. However, uncertainties persisted regarding the extent to which HEMS could effectively bridge the energy efficiency gap. This study investigated HEMS' role as boundary objects, capable of transcending knowledge barriers within complex socio-technical systems. To address these concerns, a comprehensive methodology was employed, guided by a mixed-methods approach comprising a systematic literature review and an interview. The development of the evaluative framework drew insights from the understanding of complex systems and the concept of boundary objects, uncovering the intricate interplay of elements, relationships, and emergent patterns. This framework served to illuminate the nuanced dynamics underlying HEMS adoption, fostering meaning creation and collective efforts, ultimately paving the path for enhanced energy efficiency. The findings elucidated multifaceted interactions between technology, user behaviour, and knowledge boundaries, collectively shaping the potential for energy efficiency enhancement. By amalgamating theoretical insights with practical experiences, the study furnished a comprehensive comprehension of the potential role of HEMS in effectively bridging the energy efficiency gap within Taiwan's evolving smart grid landscape. This research bestowed valuable insights for enhancing energy efficiency and navigating the intricate terrains of energy management, echoing beyond the confines of Taiwan and resonating in the global pursuit of sustainable energy utilisation.

Incorporating living cells into a non-living matrix is one of the many possible steps that can be undertaken to stop climate change. Especially, photosynthetic organisms have a promising future in material design as they can capture atmospheric carbon dioxide and ’ breathe’ oxygen. This research dives into unravelling the properties of a hydrogel-based living material containing C. reinhardtii.
To facilitate a systematic exploration, this goal was divided into three smaller pieces. Firstly, the study delves into the mechanical characteristics, aiming to identify the most suitable bio-ink crosslink technique and composition. To validate the mechanical properties the living material was subjected to rheology and a bridging test. Concluded can be that crosslinking and algae growth improve the mechanical stability of the material, whereas, gelatin did not. The sagging behaviour of the material looked promising.
Secondly, the photosynthetic activity of this living material was researched. It was found that the rise of O2 levels can not be measured accurately, the non-living matrix can release a high amount of CO2 of over 20.000 ppm and airtightness poses a complex challenge in this field of research.
Lastly, the project incorporates attempts to find effective techniques for studying the livingness of this unique material. In this part of the research, inverted optical microscopy, 3D laser scanning microscopy and chlorophyll extraction were discarded as suitable methods to study the livingness of the algae material. It was proven that leveraging the autofluorescence of the algal chlorophyll confocal laser scanning microscopy gives high-resolution images and the livingness of this living material could be studied with this technique in the near future.
This research significantly contributes to our understanding of this hydrogel-based living material and its many challenging properties. It underscores the importance of innovative materials like these in addressing contemporary environmental challenges, particularly in carbon capture. Moreover, it highlights the complexity of characterizing such materials, paving the way for further exploration and development in this relatively new field.

In the ever-changing landscape of the 21st century, complex issues like climate change demand holistic solutions. However, traditional scientific approaches often fall short by employing reductionism, breaking problems into isolated parts. This executive summary introduces a thesis that calls for a shift towards a more holistic and interdisciplinary perspective in the field of biotechnology. It outlines a three-phase research approach, seeking to cultivate a 'holistic' mindset within this academic discipline.

Phase 1 explores contextual influences on inter- and transdisciplinary mindsets in biotechnology. By introducing unusual triggers, such as artworks, researchers induce shifts in participants' perspectives. Emotions and cognitive dissonance emerge as key drivers of change, emphasizing the role of context in shaping mindsets.

Phase 2 delves into defining factors that continuously nurture a 'holistic' mindset. It highlights the importance of preserving individuality while fostering connections, utilizing boundary objects for effective communication, and leveraging emotions as triggers for reflective conversations.

Phase 3 involves the design of the "Out of Context!" tool, aimed at supporting interdisciplinary practices and the development of a 'holistic' mindset among biotechnology professionals. The tool is designed with criteria that ensure contextual relevance, creative discussions, integration of personal beliefs, support for minor interactions, and the establishment of a common ground.

This research offers a novel approach to fostering interdisciplinary thinking in biotechnology and could inform the development of a 'holistic' mindset within the field. It emphasizes the need for practitioners and researchers to share their experiences, ultimately advancing interdisciplinary practices in biotechnology. The effective implementation and evaluation of the "Out of Context!" tool are crucial, as it has the potential to transform discussions within the field, furthering the practice of inter- and transdisciplinarity in biotechnology.

We live in a society where our decisions are increasingly based on research, data, and modeling. The role of research institutions like Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) is to both educate future engineers and to produce research outputs that support our data-driven society. However, research is an ongoing way of regulating and realizing the underlying codes of colonialism (Smith, 1999). Universities are complicit in perpetuating the asymmetrical power relationships that exist in society by occupying a role of “well-intentioned post-colonial saviors” (Anthony-Stevens & Matsaw Jr, 2020). This positioning is embedded in TU Delft’s strategic vision and mission to educate socially responsible engineers who can contribute to solving global problems in collaboration with societal actors. If we claim to value inclusion and diversity within our institution, then we must also critically consider our role in upholding colonial systems. To decolonize our university is to engage in an ongoing process of 1) understanding the lasting impacts of colonization on our educational systems and research practices; and 2) actively uplifting the voices and perspectives of those who have historically been (and continue to be) excluded and underrepresented in academic spaces. The intention to make our research and education inclusive must be accompanied by concrete action. This thesis attempts to redefine meaningful inclusion within the data science community at TU Delft through a lens of decolonization and social justice. I suggest ways to make inclusion actionable by highlighting how the community is already providing the conditions necessary for meaningful inclusion. I also point out how our academic culture and bureaucracy need to shift to allow for greater participation. Finally, I reflect on how our mindset needs to change so that we (specifically researchers already within academia who already possess a certain amount of privilege) can take greater responsibility to support inclusive community.

The continual increase in cyber crime revolving blockchain applications calls for secure blockchain systems and clarity on the division of security responsibilities. This research is an integrated project between two master programmes at the Delft University of Technology: Computer Science and Communication Design for Innovation, and focuses on software testing and security responsibilities.

In this study, we investigate if grammar-based fuzzing, a popular approach for identifying bugs in software, is effective on JSON-RPC systems like blockchain applications Ripple and Ethereum. Furthermore, we evaluate whether we can improve upon traditional grammar-based fuzzing by using evolutionary search.
We introduce GEFRA, a black-box grammar-based fuzzing tool that generates tests for JSON-RPC APIs.
Using a diversity-based fitness function that leverages system feedback, GEFRA is able to effectively guide the search process towards new test cases that obtain additional test coverage.

Additionally, various perspectives on blockchain security responsibilities are investigated. A media content analysis was performed and interviews were conducted with legal and blockchain experts.
News media frequently frame end users as responsible for the prevention of blockchain attacks. While attackers are legally responsible, users are left to deal with the consequences if attackers cannot be found. Responsibilities generally end up with users as decentralisation is the core idea of blockchain. Legislation may be the only solution to define a clear division of responsibilities.

A shift in academia is taking place, from individual excellence towards more collaboration. Where autonomy and individuality are highly valued by scientists and the systems in which they operate, a push towards more collaboration in the scientific field in the Netherlands is inevitable. Scientific issues are becoming increasingly complex and demand a wide range of expertise and methodology in order to be solved. This necessitates not only collaboration, it requires far-reaching integration and leads to inevitable interdependency within the collaboration. To be successful, one needs to combine the knowledge available within multiple disciplines to create a solution together. In these collaborations, team learning behaviour becomes a necessary collaborative effort in order to work together effectively.
In this research, team learning behaviour in multidisciplinary academic teams at the TU Delft is investigated. It focusses on integrated multidisciplinary collaborations, which include inter- or transdisciplinary collaborations and everything in between. The goal of this research is to come up with an idea that could help stimulate team learning behaviour.
Through a non-systematic literature review, an extensive overview of factors that have an influence on team learning behaviour and their underlying relations is made. The factors are categorised as learning boosters and learning drainers. A diagram is used to show the complexity and interconnectedness of the influence factors on team learning behaviour. From this overview, a section was chosen to focus on, the antecedent factors. This is the section with which the TU Delft could most effectively influence the team learning behaviour of its academic integrated multidisciplinary collaborations.
Through semi-structured interviews, issues were identified with the current team learning behaviour within these collaborations. These issues turned out to be spread out over three different levels. Some issues can be addressed within collaborations. Some issues are broader than a collaboration and can only be solvable within the organisation, in the TU Delft. A few issues present themself more in the whole academic field. These issues might not be solvable by the TU Delft, but they might be able to contribute.
Three main themes were identified to be in the way of the collaborative effort of learning behaviour:
• Low prioritisation of collaborative work due to the pull to individualistic work. This issue presented itself within the collaboration, the organisation, and the academic field.
• Non-efficient collaboration activities. Within the collaboration, this is partly due to implicit communication. This results in scientists often having to spend their personal time on collaboration efforts, which could be tackled on the organisation level.
• Few integrated multidisciplinary collaboration opportunities. In the organisation this is mainly visible in job and education opportunities given by inherently monodisciplinary faculties. In the wider academic field, this shows itself in fewer publication opportunities.
As the result of this research, a toolset has been developed to help stimulate learning behaviour. The tools facilitates a session with people who can influence either a collaboration, the organisation or the academic field to find solutions to issues raised. The output of this session are concrete goals and action points to carry out.

In the Netherlands, the frequency and severity of extreme rainfall events are expected to increase. This can result in severely detrimental effects. It is complicated for municipal actors to effectively manage these events, as it requires judgement on probabilities, costs, and uncertain impacts. As a result, obtaining scientific knowledge through climate tools and model results has become increasingly important in informing policy-making processes. While model results and climate tools have been shown to create an imperative to act for municipal actors, a clarification of how a certain approach might offer support in a specific context is scarce. By simplifying model simulations for municipal actors, information gets lost and becomes (unconsciously) framed, leaving room for the personal interpretation of municipal actors. Framing can change the actor’s perception without altering the scientific information they were initially provided, which might result in different decisions taken on water management. Decision-making is not an individual process. It involves interaction between a multitude of stakeholders of various disciplines, all with own individual contextual factors. It is essential for effective decision-making on extreme rainfall events that interaction is well-coordinated.

This integrated master thesis for the master’s degrees in International Land and Water Management and Communication Design for Innovation, therefore, aims to explore the influence of visually framed extreme rainfall model results on the interaction between municipal actors. This is explored in the Municipality of The Hague and the Huygenspark neighbourhood. The model results have been adjusted to two contrasting frames: in terms of gains or losses and psychological distant or near impacts.

These two contrasting frames have resulted in the development of four visually-framed extreme rainfall model results, hereafter named maps. For the distant loss map, water nuisance has been assessed in the Tygron Geodesign Platform. The water nuisance map shows that especially the Stationsweg, the tunnel at the Rijswijkseweg, and the tunnel underneath the train tracks will have water nuisance issues during extreme rainfall events. For the near loss map, the framing of adaptation tipping points has been applied. Adaptation tipping points frame the issue from the socio-political objectives and show the moments in time at which a change in the current management strategy no longer meets the municipal actors’ objectives. The socio-political objective has been identified to focus on maintaining the accessibility of roads for cars and ambulances. The model shows that the Stationsweg and the tram tunnel cross this threshold during a once a 25 years rain shower (40 mm/hour), while the Rijswijkseweg tunnel reaches the threshold already at a rain shower of less than once a 10 years (30 mm/hour). This return period will become more frequent to once every 13 years and an unspecified low non-extreme return period in the upper scenario of 2050 respectively. The two main chances to tackle this issue are either spatially, in the Oranjeplein and Huijgenspark or through adaptation mainstreaming opportunities.

The four maps were interpreted by fourteen municipal actors within the Municipality of The Hague through semi-structured interviews. Visual framing was found to have a profound effect on the interpretation of municipal actors. The near-framed adaptation tipping points map made the issue more concrete and expressed urgency as well as the necessity to take action compared to the distant-framed water nuisance map. The chance maps created a more positive interpretation than the loss maps. Besides, the interpretation of maps was also determined by the pre-existing knowledge structures and ways of looking at the issue, resulting in three distinct interpretations for the adaptation tipping points map. While every map has its own main interpretation, most municipal actors emphasised that the maps should be combined to create an overall story. This story can be used during interaction to convince others, but it can also be to start a discussion or to weigh different options. The visual maps can, therefore, be seen as a ‘story support tool’ for interaction.

The forensic investigation is one of the first steps in the criminal investigation process concerning home invasion robberies. The forensic investigation consists of objectively capturing the crime scene as it is when starting the investigation. Regarding home invasion robberies, the most important traces are fingerprints and DNA which are used for identification of individual suspects. Currently, there is little knowledge about the process of a secured trace to a result used in court.
Crime scene investigators are confronted with multiple decisions during the investigation and it is important to know with what goal in mind an investigator acts on the crime scene, as this influences the decision-making. The forensic data obtained from the forensic investigation is shared within a forensic data infrastructure. This infrastructure consists of the following criminal justice system partners involved in the process from crime scene investigation to conviction: crime scene investigators, detectives, experts at forensic laboratories, prosecutors, defense attorneys and judges. These partners are all contributing in different ways and at different times.
The forensic data infrastructure comes with sensibilities and tensions, such as tunnel vision, incomplete crime scene investigation reports, misunderstandings and one-way communication. Solving these sensibilities and tensions is crucial to the functioning of the infrastructure.
By use of a questionnaire, insights are provided into the goals and aspects of the forensic investigation that are important to the involved partners. The goals important to crime scene investigators differ little from the goals of other involved partners. The questionnaire results are reflected on in an expert reflection session. This session is part of the participatory design, which contributes in creating a mutual understanding of needs between partners. A second expert session is developed to fulfill these needs and implement solutions to solve sensibilities and tensions in an optimized forensic investigation.
The optimization process includes the optimization of the forensic investigation itself and the optimization of the forensic data infrastructure by proposing a structured forensic investigation scheme. A new experiment is presented to analyze the optimized forensic investigation.

This interdisciplinary thesis gives a simulational approach for the production of basic chemicals in a renewable manner, while simultaneously managing uncertainty inherent in the development of novel and innovative technologies. The simulational approach focuses on the capture of CO2 and subsequent conversion into methanol using Aspen Plus. CO2 is captured by chemical absorption into MEA. The CO2 rich stream is mixed with hydrogen and converted into methanol. The flowsheet is finalized by integrating recycle streams and upgrading of the product. The e-Refinery institute is used as a case study in order to research the managing of uncertainty in the development of these innovative technologies. The concept shared vision is the focus point in the collaboration and a conceptual design of a virtual platform has been developed in order to aid in the development of a shared vision within interdisciplinary research institutes.

To deal with increasing complexity and connectivity of socio-technical systems it becomes unlikely for individuals to be able to oversee all possible changes. These systems are riddled with a plurality of actors with differing interests, disciplines, institutions and ecological limitations. Examples of systems like these are energy and gas grids. If one wants to tackle problems on these systems one would ideally understand possible results of changing things in these systems as a change in one part of the system can lead to results in other subsystems. If a tree falls down on an energy pole, for example, chemical plants can stop functioning. This in turn can cause orders to be late, influencing a whole production chain.
To this end one would ideally one would ideally apply systems thinking: ”Systems thinking is a set of synergistic analytic skills used to improve the capability of identifying and understanding systems, predicting their behaviors, and devising modifications to them in order to produce desired effects. These skills work together as a system.”
However, because the earlier pluralities it unlikely for a single individual or organisation to have all the required information for this. Processes are required where information is collected and co-created with multiple parties in such as system to enable the creation of comprehensive solutions for these problems. What is required is social learning. Social learning (SL)is learning that happens by people participating in so called communities of practice. A community of practice can be seen as a group of people with converging interests and skills. An example would be a grid operator, which have their own sub-communities (E.G. cable technician or systems manager). They can be smaller groups, E.G. a family, and participation is often not mutually exclusive. Rather than being part of a community of practice one could be seen as being part of the landscape of practice, consisting out of multiple communities. By partaking in these communities people gain experiences by both learning and expanding on a communities’ knowledge.
The aim of this thesis is to gain insights into: 1. mechanics shaping and steering social learning 2. how to measure social learning processes for in vivo experimentation 3. design mechanics for participatory modelling processes and Social learning in general to improve development of such processes 
To do this a theory has been made on the mechanics and behaviour of individuals in a SL process. This has been done in chapters 4, 5 and 6. To do this a PM perspective has been used as this give a structure on the actions someone can take and requires shared information to be structured. Additionally it is seen as a useful tool for tackling socio-technical problems.
The theory thus focussed on the main action of PM, namely sending information, receiving and processing information and deciding upon the model. To develop the theory knowledge from multiple disciplines is needed. To this end a theory has been developed using supersynthesis. This is a research method where multiple theories are combined to make a new on to explain something. The aim is not to supersed the combined theories, but to explain something new. The fields that have been the focus are communication science, helping understand how information is processed and sent, and social psychology, helping understand why and when individuals take certain actions. The theories have been synthesised in two rounds of conceptualisation, with the first focussing on conceptualising every possible action and mechanic. The ones that were deemed most interesting or useful have been conceptualised more in depth. To this an additional conceptualisation of knowledge and information is made. The final theory is as follows:
Knowledge takes the shape of a knowledge graph. In this graph fields of expertise are called topics. One can think about the weather as such a topic. These topics consist out of information items, think cloudiness or temperature, and links between these items indicating their relation, think cloudiness leads to lower temperatures. These items may have links to items from other topics. For example cloudiness is related to sun hours and yields of Photovoltaics from th topic of Photovoltaics.
It is assumed that a complete knowledge graph exists. Each individual knows part of this graph, signifying knowledge or expertise in the topic. The larger part of a topic they know the more expertise they have in that topic. This includes both information items as their links (relationships). All these items, links and topics also have a perceived relevance for people. This is based on interests or affiliation. Affiliation means relationship with a group of people, for example, meteorologists. Something is also seen as more relevant if it is discussed often, attributed to common knowledge effects. In a social learning process there are several individuals. Each round they are able to share information. Information is seen as information items and/or their links. A topic as a whole can also be discussed, but this is not seen as actual information for learning. What they share is based on the amount of energy they have and are willing to spend on sharing information. This is dependent on perceived relevance of the item they are considering to share, their expertise on the related topic and their tiredness. It is assumed that the energy one has decays over rounds.
Shared energy is received by others and they start to process it. Here something is integrated or learned if they are able or willing to invest enough energy in the processing. This is dependent on their expertise of the related topic, their perceived relevance of what is shared and their attitude with regards to the sender. If expertise, relevance and attitudes are high enough someone will process and integrate information. Processing energy is also assumed to decay each round.
In addition to information on knowledge, individuals can also share relational information. These are details like hobbies and other personal details. These are processed as either positive or negative and influence attitudes.
Processing of shared information may also happen during breaks or downtime. Here one has more energy to spend and attitudes are less relevant. Total recall of information is assumed in the whole model (I.E. people do not forget anything).
To allow for further reflection on the theory and to act as a proof of concept of the theory the theory has been translated into an agent based simulation model. This model has been analysed in a sensitivity experiment using LHS and extremely randomised forest in addition to a variety of plotting techniques in R. 
Additionally two experiments are designed, inspired by real cases. These are used to reflect on the theory and find less noticeable quirks from the ABM. 
Based on the theory and ABM the following things have been concluded:  -While communication science theories and social psychology theories have been used for theory development, they are not a be all end all. One can apply other fields if one wants. This specific combination, however works especially well for an individual perspective.-The theory can be used to reflect on SL by practitioners as it tells why and how people can act. Furthermore the idea of the knowledge graph can be connected to landscapes of practice, with topics relating to a community and links between items of these topics to those of other relating places where boundaries interact -Matters like conflict and increasing conflict, coalitions, personal inhibitions and norms are some of the values that would make sense to include in the theory. This would make the theory less usable for simulation modelling, however and would add a lot of behaviour that is not directly related to the learning process. To implement these additional behaviour could be conceptualised and added, making the theory more complete but less comprehensive. The most important addition that could be made according to me would be an extension on the actions influencing attitudes and the actual definition of a process result (a participatory built model or a plan). -This new theory is valuable as this individual based perspective has not been taken before, inviting to reflection on practice.-The knowledge graph could be used as a means for building new theories that are comparable. Additionally it is a way to explicitly learning. -The combination between social learning and Participatory modelling has not been made this explicit before. It would allow participatory modellers to reflect on their practice.-The ideas of energy for sharing and processing are quite influential in the ABM. They are interesting as they give clear reasons why learning may not happen or happen suboptimally. For learning to happen information need to be shared. If people lack the energy or the willingness to spend energy sharing will not happen. If they do not have the energy to process this they will also fail to learn. This highlights the need for keeping energy levels in mind when designing these processes. It is assumed that these energy levels decay linearly. While arguably too simplistic still it does show how intensive processes or boring processes can fail.
The following design mechanics are proposed:1. Usage of a knowledge graph to keep track of what is learned by researchers 2. Usage of knowledge graph to steer the process order that makes learning more likely (topics that closely relate to all participants first and expand that towards specific participants later down the line). 3. Use set structures, conceptual modelling, drawings and other tools to make information sharing and processing easier and less intensive. This would make the process spend less energy if the used tools are chosen well (I.E. a conceptual drawing of what is said or what someone wants to explain using causal diagramming is probably better to explain ideas than doing so via live programming of a simulation model). 4. Use actions like summarizing what has been said to slow down the process if it becomes to quick, leading to a processing energy deficit. 5. Use means like using an agenda to ensure the speed of the process does not become to slow, leading to boredom and potential energy decays

Q\&A fora have developed into a precious tool for online knowledge exchange. Being community-driven, openly accessible and free, getting an answer to a complicated question can nowadays be a matter of minutes. This research investigates the specific case of gis.stackexchange, a technical Q&A forum used by Geographic Information Systems professionals. A central topic is the interaction between users. Based on existing research, an automated approach is elaborated and a big data analysis is performed. Also, a link between the outcomes and self-reflective behaviour found on the community meta forum is established. Factors positively influencing interaction as defined by the approach are identified (implication of the author(s), presence of images and code snippets). Furthermore, weaknesses such as the low share of interactions associated to an alteration (of the original post) are also discussed. These outcomes eventually lead to a series of recommendations for the forum itself and related formats.

The living lab methodology is an approach to realise the innovation process by bringing together users, technology and business for collective ideation in a real-life environment. This study looked into the human level of the boundary-spanning activities within a living lab group via a case study on a university living lab of medical devices. This research aimed to provide insights on the interpersonal interaction to optimise the mutual learning between participants of a university living lab. The results of this research were translated into a communication tool to realise the optimal mutual learning within a living lab context. This research found out that the identification process played an important role in facilitating users to obtain benefits of the boundary-spanning activities while mitigating the possibility of conflicts. In the process of dynamic formation of professional identity in a living lab context, various identities of competence come closer and intersect with each other. The supervenient overlapping area of different competence can be regarded as the identity of knowledgeability. Knowledgeability manifests the ability to see the relevance of other competence to a professional’s own competence. Translated into practice in the design process of medical devices, the identity of competence provides a feasibility scope of expertise, which makes sure the design decision would be viable in the future commercialisation according to a certain aspect. Actors with knowledgeability to all the expertise in a group can better tweak the decision into the overlapping area of all the feasibility scopes of expertise, for example, of clinical, engineering and commercial expertise in this case. This research suggests that knowledgeability could be an indicator of so-called boundary-spanning competence. Knowledgeability is the result of identification in the interdisciplinary interaction within a living lab context. When designing a tool to facilitate the acquisition of knowledgeability, this study utilised the three modes of identification, namely imagination, engagement and alignment as the foundation of the tool. The tool stimulates reflection of the users through a series of inspiring questions and guides the users to reap the benefits of daily interdisciplinary conversations through communicative solutions. The main recommendations for future research entail taking this preliminary tool as a starting point to explore the cognitive activities further when people engage in boundary-spanning activities and the psychological aspect of the identification process. Furthermore, defining the quantitative criteria of knowledgeability would greatly improve the reliability and usefulness of the tool.

The development of research evaluation frameworks sparked a focus on research impact. Therefore, this study explores the concept of research impact, looking at its various interpretations, and possible indicators and enablers. Finally, a design proposal for an impact mapping tool is made, to give scientists more awareness of the impact of their research.

In the highly uncertain environment of conceptual aircraft design and technology assessment and selection, making good decisions is of utmost importance. Aiming to contribute to improving decision quality, the problem was researched from both a technical as well as a socio-psychological perspective. In the technical perspective, the uncertainty associated to three two-dimensional aerodynamic solvers -- following from physical flow model assumptions or numerical solution method differences -- was quantified and propagated. It was found that the influence of flow model clearly outweighs the impact of solution method. Although the aircraft synthesis program used for uncertainty propagation showed very little sensitivity to the effects of the assumptions investigated, these results raise critical questions about the currently observed push for higher-fidelity analysis methods in aircraft conceptual design. In the socio-psychological perspective, document review, interviews and observations were used to define what socio-psychological factors negatively impact group decision making in an international public-private research consortium aiming to contribute to aircraft fuel burn reduction through R&D concept development. Based on vigilant interaction theory and (the conceptual foundations of) effective intercultural workgroup communication theory, a theoretical framework was used to develop the TARE-model, which helps groups balance task (TA) and relationship (RE) outcomes in an uncertain environment. Using a thought experiment, the inherent integration and inseparability of the two perspectives was found. Uncertainty was put forward as the primary variable impacting the interwovenness of the two perspectives. Applying this conclusion to the results from the technical and socio-psychological domains, the question is raised whether increased computational power and additional models are the most effective way to substantially improve the quality of decisions in conceptual design and technology assessment and selection projects.

The world’s population is aging and as a result chronic illnesses become more widespread. The disease dementia will play a major role in the future of the Netherland. Moreover the people with dementia have to stay at home for as long as possible, which is also in line with their wishes. Ommoord is one of the neighbourhoods which can expect an increase of the amount of people with dementia. This thesis investigates how Ommoord should be adapted to improve the quality of life for people with dementia. Design-based research has been used, because the help of stakeholders is needed to solve this complex problem. The tool “Hersenspinsels” has been designed to facilitate co-creation with the involved of the stakeholders. This tool helps the stakeholders to set up a collaboration and to broaden their view. The result is that a better problem statement can be formulated. The developed problem statement can be used by the urbanist to realize a first design. The advantage of using the tool is that the developed solution fits better in the wishes of the stakeholders, it helps to develop a timeframe and it gives information about which solutions should be implemented and in which way. The urbanist has an important role because he or she is the facilitator of the sessions and has to bundle all the information. To make Ommoord dementia-friendly, it should change in a more accessible, comfortable and safe neighbourhood. This thesis describes the development and use of the tool (Hersenspinsels) and the application in Ommoord that resulted in an initial plan for Ommoord.

This research project aims to find a way for the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague to communicate about their museum building to its visitors. The museum building is to become an explicit part of the visitor experience. By means of design-based research a list of design requirements was composed and a web-based mobile application was designed as communication tool.

Participatory processes have become unexceptional in Dutch planning. Due to the communicative turn in urban planning, collaborative planning moved up on the local and national government agenda: in 2021 the new environmental act will come into place, which firmly encourages participation in an early stage of the process. Within those participatory processes, face-to-face contact is currently indisputably the most used method. Practitioners believe that increasing the moments of contact is the best strategy to quickly reach consensus, even though only half of the participating citizens say that it indeed contributes to mutual trust and understanding. And although citizen participation is not something new in the Netherlands, its effectiveness leaves much to be desired. Despite the increase of attention for citizen engagement, the actual interaction between citizen and urban planner has not been studied extensively. Why and how to arrange a productive interaction with citizens is not clearly stated in literature nor known from practice. This leaves spatial planners with a large uncertainty on how to employ dialogue in daily practice. Therefore, the central question in this double degree thesis revolves around the face-to-face interaction between urban planners and citizens. It researches the gap between the ideal but rather theoretical concept of dialogue with citizens and the unruly reality of practice. It focuses on how the urban planner should manage the dilemmas of dialogue and how he/she could facilitate this interaction in an effective way, in order to let the process contribute to something constructive. Dialogical principles were taken as starting point and experts were consulted about dialogue in participation’s functioning in practice. The generic framework which results from this, is applied in the case of the redevelopment of Delft Campus station. That is done by developing a game for the interaction between citizens and planner, which served as input for the spatial design which followed. By developing and reflecting on these three different products - the general framework, the game and the spatial design - the thesis provides practitioners with an advice how to deal with the complex conversations which they have to deal with today.

Building with Nature (BwN) is a relatively novel way of thinking for flood protection. Unlike traditional flood protection solutions that are poised to bring forces of nature to a halt, the BwN’s philosophy is to use natural dynamic processes for engineering advantage as a protection against natural disasters and events. Yet, the BwN design philosophy faces obstacles in terms of technical efficacy and evaluating added benefits when compared to traditional flood defence solutions.

This research sets out to understand how these obstacles faced by the BwN design philosophy play a role in the consideration of a BwN flood defence solution during project development. This is done by relating the assessment of the added benefits to five discussion fields, namely Costs, Function, Policy, Responsibility and Support. In doing so it can be determined which discussion fields play an important part in embracing a BwN design based on its added benefits while considering its technical uncertainties. This research limits itself to a case study of the Houtribdijk reinforcement project where both traditional and BwN flood defence solutions were employed. Furthermore, this research limits itself to the project phase where flood defence options are still considered.

This research found that although BwN flood defence project face technical uncertainties and discussions on efficacy, there is willingness to embrace a BwN solution when involved parties can agree on shared responsibilities. The curators of a flood defence project were found to be least willing to accept a technically uncertain design as they are accountable should it fail. The curators’ concern regarding their responsibilities can be mitigated and they can be more open to alternative solution if they are ensured of proper research and shared accountability when other values are destroyed in favour of flood protection. It was also found that the effect on stakeholders in financing and taking share of the responsibilities also have a positive effect on embracement of a BwN solution when the discussions on efficacy have not yet been settled.

Migraine is associated with brain dysfunction, possibly due to disturbances in the interactions between distributed cortical regions. Detection of these disturbances in the topological organization of the brain’s functional network would contribute to further understanding of migraine pathophysiology. Altered cortical responses to external stimulation of different modalities are observed in migraine patients, also between attacks (in the interictal state). However, it is yet unclear if abnormalities are detectable in the functional network at rest, i.e. without external stimulation. Here, we assessed abnormalities in migraine functional networks on a global and a local level, based on resting state electroencephalography (EEG) data and graph analysis. Scalp-wide (128-channel)
eyes closed EEG was recorded in 18 episodic migraine patients with and without
aura and 15 healthy controls. We calculated functional connectivity based on
coherence and phase-lag index, and performed graph analysis to characterize
network topology. The minimum spanning tree, a subgraph with maximum
functional connectivity, was used for comparison. No significant differences were
found in network topology, nor in functional connectivity strength between groups. These results demonstrate that this type of graph analyses are not sensitive to any possible abnormalities in the interictal migraine functional network in resting state. Brain dysfunction in migraine might occur only on a local level, making EEG-based graph analysis a less suitable technique to uncover such abnormalities.