Willem van Winden (b. 1971) is a professor of urban economic studies. He completed his PhD in 2003, at the Erasmus School of Economics, Erasmus University Rotterdam. He then worked as a university lecturer and researcher at the European Institute for Comparative Urban Research. He has published many international comparative studies focusing on, among other topics, cities in the knowledge economy, smart cities, the future of industry in European industrial regions, economic clusters, and innovation districts.

In 2008, he was appointed professor at the AUAS. Here, he leads a research group where action research is conducted on complex urban innovation projects involving multiple stakeholders: smart city projects, circular economy initiatives, positive energy districts, and developing campus areas/innovation districts. The red thread in this work is always about how stakeholders can jointly achieve successful and scalable innovation.

In recent years he has have been thinking more and more from regenerative principles and Donut Economics: how can (urban) innovations be developed and scaled up that contribute to a sustainable and social society? How do you put positive social and environmental impacts at the center of the approach? What new roles are stakeholders given? What new business models fit the bill?

Within the AUAS, van Winden is director of the Centre for Economic Transformation, and closely involved with the Master for Economic Transformation (in development). In addition to his professorship, Willem van Winden is founder of UrbanIQ, an internationally oriented consultancy practice for urban policy. He is also affiliated with the European Institute for Comparative Urban Research (EURICUR), working as an advisor for URBACT and UIA. Both these European programs are aimed at promoting knowledge exchange between cities. He is also co-founder and advisor of EUniverCities, a European network that exchanges knowledge on how city and university can work together strategically to address metropolitan issues.