I am a big history lecturer and curriculum designer. I created the little big history approach, which connects specific elements of the world around us to interacting long-term geological, biological, and cultural processes. Most notably, I study and publish on little big histories of buildings and their role in society.

I bring this perspective into classrooms, both my own and many others throughout the world, through courses and projects that invite students to analyse their environment through the lens of big history. Many of these courses and projects are developed with external societal partners. Often, they result in creative outputs, ranging from walking tours to artistic concepts, and are grounded in a design mindset that supports open-ended, exploratory learning, reflecting my background in both education and architectural design and history. I am currently doing this work at the Onderwijslab of the UvA's Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies, where we have just started a project that applies a little big history perspective to future thinking.