Daphne's research activities are directed at diversity and inclusion in higher education. In 2019, she started her Ph.D. research on diversity in academic careers. Some of the questions she tries to answer in this project include: What role do academics and universities play in creating careers? How do unexpected events – so-called career shocks – impact on academic’s career decisions and goals? And how can academics achieve career authenticity when navigating between their individual career priorities and the rigid academic career script? Furthermore, one of the aims is to gain more insight into the factors that account for the gender gap in academic leadership positions. To answer these research questions, a mixed-method approach is taken. Next to survey and bibliographic methods, she conducts longitudinal interview research in which a cohort of mid-career academics is followed for multiple years to unravel how they navigate their career.
