Rob Lubberink is a social scientist who joined the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences in 2021 as assistant professor in sustainability and circular economy. Through engaged research, he aims to learn together with individuals & collectives how to use entrepreneurship to transform global value chains such that these become purpose-driven​, sustainable​,​ and distributive by design. His research interests predominantly focus on global agri-food value networks where climate- and social injustices are pressing, such as the cocoa industry.

Being an engaged scholar , Rob enjoys to stand in the midst of the action instead of observing at the sidelines. This manifests in connecting fellow researchers and students with entrepreneurs, and to experiment together how to transform global value chains for the better. For example, he recently initiated a multi-stakeholder events to close the living income gap in the cocoa industry, and he is leading workshops for small- and medium enterprise owners how to transform towards more sustainable- and circular business. He is also leading the theme on ‘economic ecosystems transformed’ in the CoE ‘Center for Economic Transformation’ at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences.

Rob is convinced that through education we can empower a next generation of young professionals to transform our vulnerable and harmful global value chains to become resilient and sustainable. Amongst others, he is therefore teaching in sustainability and the circular economy at the AUAS School of International Business and is a visiting lecturer in Entrepreneurship & Systems Change at Montpellier Business School. Part and parcel is to foster a supportive environment where students are critical and reflexive on current states of affairs and are empowered to imagine alternative futures. By connecting these students with industry professionals, he aims to foster collaborations where we bridge the idea(l)s of sustainable international business with current practices to make the necessary transformation happen.

Rob has published in international peer-reviewed journals including Organization Studies, Business & Society, interdisciplinary journals such as Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability and Sustainability, and topic journals such as Journal of Social Entrepreneurship, Journal of Responsible Innovation, and Journal of Entrepreneurship Education and Pedagogy. He has also written opinion pieces in Food & Business Knowledge Platform and CCAFS, and appeared in panel discussions at de Balie. Rob holds a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Management, Economics, and Consumers studies from Wageningen University, after which he completed his PhD on responsible innovation & social entrepreneurship at the Wageningen University in the Netherlands