Niels obtained a BSc in Sociology and a Research MSc in Social and Cultural Science (with a specialisation in comparative sociological research) from Radboud University Nijmegen.

He is a PhD student on our Differentiation in Education project, funded by Nationaal Regieorgaan Onderwijsonderzoek (NRO) of the Dutch Research Council (NWO), where he investigates the psychological consequences of within-classroom differentiation. His research uses experiments, observations, and longitudinal methods to explore how socioeconomic and ethnic inequalities in ability grouping affect children’s self-concept, experiences of social exclusion, and educational achievement. Broadly, his research interests focus on the sociological and psychological factors that influence educational inequalities.