Billie de Haas

I am an assistant professor of Population Studies at University of Groningen in the Netherlands. I have been trained as a demographer and human geographer and have specialised in sexual and reproductive health and rights, including HIV and AIDS. I am interested in people and their interaction with the contexts they live in, from a population, community and individual point of view. To understand behaviour in their contexts, I apply both psychological and anthropological theories around individual decision-making.

My PhD research focused on sexuality education in secondary schools in Uganda. I used qualitative methods and a participatory action approach to study students’ perceptions of gender and romantic and sexual relationships and teachers’ motivations to teach sexuality education. In my research, I paid special attention to the role of culture and personal experiences related to sexuality.

I am an active member of Share-Net International, the knowledge platform on sexual and reproductive health and rights, and I am committed to improve research, policy and practice through interdisciplinary interactions and joint knowledge construction.