Resume

In September 2023, I have started my PhD program at the University of Toronto in Canada. Here, I will delve into the theme of green innovation in Canadian and U.S. regions, with a special focus on public policy and comparative politics. I am working under the supervision of Professor Dan Breznitz.
Until April 2023, I wrote my master's thesis at UCLA, for which I received the Fulbright Foreign Student Fund. Under the guidance of Professor David Rigby, I researched the geography of green innovation in the United States. This research encompassed factors such as urban pollution and environmental legislation. I have worked as a research assistant on an NWO project (2023) focused on crowdfunding in U.S. regions at the Economic Geography department of Utrecht University.

I have a special interest in the geography of innovation, green technologies, and statistics. I graduated cum laude from my Research Master of Science in Urban and Economic Geography at Utrecht University in July 2023. I earned my Bachelor of Science degree in Human Geography and Spatial Planning with an honors certificate from Utrecht University in 2021. 

Education

University of Toronto | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | 2023 – Current
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Political Science (Public Policy & Comparative Politics)
Research topic: "Green Shifts and Industrial Pasts: A Comparative Study of Exploring Canadian and U.S. Regional Disparities and Drivers of Green Innovation"
Supervisor: Professor Dan Breznitz
Award / Fellowship: Arts & Science Admission Award; University of Toronto Fellowship

University of California, Los Angeles | Los Angeles, California, United States | 2022 – 2023

Fulbright Visiting Graduate Researcher
Research topic: "Green and Non-Green Diversification, Urban Pollution Intensity and Environmental Regulation: Unraveling the Geography of Green Inventions in the United States"
Supervisor: Professor David Rigby
Award: Fulbright Foreign Student Program

Utrecht University | Utrecht, The Netherlands | 2021 – 2023
Research Master of Science (ResMSc) in Urban and Economic Geography
Distinction: Cum Laude

Utrecht University | Utrecht, The Netherlands | 2018 – 2021
Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Human Geography and Spatial Planning
Distinction: Honors Certificate

Utrecht University | Utrecht, The Netherlands | 2015 – 2017
Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Educational Sciences (Unfinished)

Windesheim University of Applied Sciences | Zwolle, The Netherlands | 2014 – 2015
Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Global Project and Change Management (Propaedeutics)

Work experience

University of Toronto | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | 2023 – Current

Research trainee within the Innovation Policy Lab of the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy
Supervisor: Professor Dan Breznitz

University of Toronto | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | 2023 – Current

Teaching Assistant within the Political Science department
Courses: POL222 - Introduction to Quantitative Reasoning I, POL223 - Globalization and Development: Issues and Challenges

Utrecht University | Utrecht, The Netherlands | 2023

Research Assistant on the research project Crowdfunding in U.S. Regions
Supervisor: dr. Nicola Cortinovis

Utrecht University | Utrecht, The Netherlands | 2022 – 2023

Student Assistant on the project The Just Energy Essays
Supervisors: dr. Jesse Hoffman & Professor Maarten Hajer

Utrecht University | Utrecht, The Netherlands | 2021 – 2022
Student Assistant on the renewal of the research master's program
Supervisor: dr. Ilse van Liempt

Hanze University of Applied Sciences | Groningen, The Netherlands | 2019 – 2021
Research Assistant for the research group Talent Development in Higher Education and Society
Supervisor: Professor Marca Wolfensberger

Honors & Awards

Arts & Science Admission Award | 2023
Issued by the Faculty of Arts & Science of the University of Toronto
Amount: $10,000 CAD
Description: The Faculty of Arts & Science awards international graduate students upon admission. This award is offered based on criteria such as academic excellence, financial need, community involvement, leadership, creativity and other qualities.

University of Toronto Fellowship | 2023

Issued by the Political Science department of the University of Toronto
Amount: $20,000 CAD
Description: The University of Toronto Fellowships provide financial support for graduate students with excellent academic standing. This fellowship includes a stipend and covers the tuition fee costs.

Fulbright Foreign Student Program | 2022

Issued by Fulbright Commission The Netherlands
Amount: $35,000 USD
Description: The Fulbright Foreign Student Program enables graduate students, young professionals and artists from abroad to study and conduct research in the United States at U.S. universities or other academic institutions. The Fulbright name is globally associated with aspiration, ambition and achievement. Active in over 160 countries and with a network of accomplished alumni that includes 37 heads of state and 59 Nobel Prize winners, Fulbrighters young and old are change-makers everywhere. In June 2022, I received the Fulbright fund, enabling me to fulfill my dream and write my master's thesis at the geography department at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Best Student Representative of Utrecht University | 2020
Issued by VIDIUS Student Union (in Dutch; link)
Description: In the article 'Marte Vroom elected student representative of the year' DUB wrote: "Marte Vroom won the price 'Best student representative of the university'. She is chair of the student delegation of the Faculty Council of Geosciences, but she also let her voice be heard outside the faculty. "What we really like is that she has also crossed the boundaries of the faculty. She has been visible throughout the university, has shown her face everywhere and is also very adept at the political game. An exemplary student representative, ” says Daan Warnas, vice-chair of VIDIUS. This involvement is evident from the articles she regularly writes for DUB. Marte was also one of the "Promising Fifteen" of DUB last year. Outside the university, she is active for DWARS, the youth department of GroenLinks, and is committed to a sustainable world." 

The Promising Fifteen | 2019
Issued by DUB Digital University Magazine (link)
Description: In the article 'The Promising Fifteen of 2019', DUB writes: "She refused to get on a plane for a mandatory study trip when an excursion to Romania was part of the program. Marte Vroom (24) hasn’t traveled by place since she first learned how taxing to the environment it is to fly. In fact: if there’s a demonstration for improving the environment, she’ll be there." The article also mentions my ambition: "It’s scary to say, but I want to do research and become a professor. Scary, because I know it’s harder for women to become a professor, and because I’m a first-generation student. My parents didn’t go to college. The academic world is further away from us.” 

Other Experience / Volunteering

Utrecht University | Utrecht, The Netherlands | 2020 – 2022

Student Member of the Council for the Editorial Office for DUB Digital University Magazine

GroenLinks Utrecht | Utrecht, The Netherlands | 2021
Campaigner for the Parliamentary Elections for the Dutch Green Party

UUinActie | Utrecht, The Netherlands | 2021
Campaigner for a Student and Staff Representation Party at Utrecht University

FNV Young & United | Utrecht, The Netherlands | 2021
Board Member of FNV Young & United, the Youth Organization for the FNV Union

UUinActie | Utrecht, The Netherlands | 2019 – 2020
Board Member Campaigning for a Student and Staff Representation Party at Utrecht University

Utrecht University | Utrecht, The Netherlands | 2019 – 2020
Vice-Chair of the Faculty Council of Geosciences and Chair of the Student Delegation

DWARS | Utrecht, The Netherlands | 2019 – 2020

Member of the Recruitment Committee for the Youth Organization of the Dutch Green Party

DWARS Utrecht | Utrecht, The Netherlands | 2018 – 2019

Board Member Campaigning for the Local Youth Organization of the Dutch Green Party

Langkawi Animal Shelter & Sanctuary Foundation | Langkawi, Malaysia | 2017

Animal Shelter Volunteer to Help Take Care of Shelter Cats and Dogs

Het Buitenhof Foundation | Gouda, The Netherlands | 2014 – 2016

Special Needs Travel Guide to Assist Individuals with Mental and Physical Disabilities During Their Travels