If you would like to get in touch you can reach me via email (in Dutch, English, or German):

s.n.giest[at]fgga.leidenuniv.nl (she/her)

The Institute is located at: 

Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs, Institute of Public Administration

Turfmarkt 99, 2511DP Den Haag, The Netherlands

I am a Professor of Public Policy (with a focus on Innovation & Sustainability) at the Public Administration Institute of Leiden University. I have been developing a research agenda around using a policy lens to look at technical, environmental and social solutions that shape sustainable societies. This is based on the understanding that policymaking for sustainability is understood as multi-dimensional, including technical elements, such as smart meters, environmental aspects linked to mitigation and adaptation as well as social solutions in the context of citizen participation, and policy tools that facilitate or hinder elements of these dimensions. I have developed a special interest in the urban dimension and the challenges encountered by local governments to deal with the intersection of delivering high quality (digital) public service, spurring economic activity and utilizing new technology for innovation and sustainability (a list of publications can be found here).

I am the Lead and Chair of the Area 1 ‘Data-driven Transformations in Policy and Governance’ Committee of the ‘Data and Policy’ journal and I am on the Editorial Board of ‘Government Information Quarterly (GIQ)’, and 'Policy Design and Practice'.

Since the Summer of 2019, I am an elected member of the International Public Policy Association (IPPA) College, and since Summer of 2022 also part of the Executive Committee of the Association (currently serving as a Vice-President). In the Netherlands, I am part of the Board of the ‘Dutch Network of Women Professors (LNVH)’ since January 2024 and I am a former member and chair of the Young Academy Leiden (YAL), a group of young scholars at Leiden University that work together on three themes: interdisciplinarity, outreach and science and education policy.

I earned my PhD (with distinction) in Political Science at Simon Fraser University (Vancouver, Canada) under the supervision of Prof. Michael Howlett on the topic of (local) government initiatives for innovation clusters. I also hold two Master degrees, one from Bonn University (Germany) in Political Science and one in Society, Science and Technology Studies from Aalborg (Denmark) and Lund University (Sweden). 

You can also find me on the website of the Institute of Public Administration, on Researchgate, LinkedIn or Googlescholar.