Aukje van Gestel

Being a researcher and financial administrator, I work with data frequently and enthousiasically. My favorite part is always when I can start turning numbers into visuals. Because this is the moment when things truly become clear. This makes sense when you consider that our brain processes visual information much faster and more efficiently than letters and numbers.

Creating effective charts and diagrams is now my main passion and focus. I enjoy the creative process as well as the science behind good information visualization.

I work with Excel, Power BI, and Tableau.

My work experience

I worked for over 12 years as a scientific researcher in medical sciences and health economics. During that time, I worked at the university medical centers of Utrecht and Maastricht, as well as the research organization Pharmerit International. My research focused on the expected costs and effects of new medicines.

Later, I became more involved in the analysis and visualization of business data, such as finances and project administration at Pharmerit International and Fontys University of Applied Sciences. In recent years, I’ve deepened my expertise in business administration (accounting) and worked as a financial administrator at Dutch Design Week, Creatieve Boekhouding, and the educational foundation SILFO.

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My educational background

  • MSc Bio-pharmaceutical sciences, Leiden University

  • MSc Public health, epidemiology, Maastricht University

  • PhD Health technology assessment, Maastricht University Medical Center

  • Certification Bookkeeping, Nederlandse Associatie voor Examinering

  • Tableau Certified Associate, Tableau

  • Power BI, Maven Analytics
Education vertical 2025

Personal

Family

Green

Yoga

FOr me, an indispensable counterpart to working at the computer, is nature and physical activity. Consciously breathing every day, having my hands in the soil to grow vegetables and fruit, stretching, and connecting with myself and my loved ones.

Meditation, breathwork, and yoga are practices I use to keep both body and mind in good condition. When I notice that I’m gradually becoming a bit lighter in the process, that’s the cherry on top.

Another important passion of mine is producing sustainable food. Making the effort to grow your own food is, for me, the most direct connection between work and life that exists. And when growing food also happens in a way that restores the soil, increases biodiversity, and connects a community, it makes me very happy.

 

For this reason, I often work as a volunteer at organic farms in the Netherlands, and I go for regular wwoofing trips to farms and communities abroad.