Geoffrey Aerts was born and raised in Antwerp Belgium, where he also currently resides. He holds a Master’s degree in European and comparative politics from the Universiteit Antwerpen, a Master after master’s degree in Diplomacy and international relations from the Universiteit Antwerpen and a master’s in management science from the Institute for Transport and Maritime Management Antwerp, ITMMA. In 2015 Geoffrey Aerts obtained a PhD title in applied economics from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, after receiving a research grant, provided to the VUB Chair in public-private partnerships sponsored by Deloitte, Grontmij and Laga. He currently runs the VUB Business development Academy. Geoffrey Aerts’ academic work has focused on knowledge management/transfer, stakeholder management and project management and has been published in major scientific publications, including Project Management Journal and International Journal of Shipping and Transport Logistics. He furthermore won the triennial Joseph Merlot – Joseph Leclercq prize 2015 awarded by CIRIEC for his work in the field of cooperative economy.

Currently Geoffrey Aerts is working both as an academic, as well as academic director/entrepreneur. In his academic work, Geoffrey Aerts is affiliated with the Business Technology and Operations research group within the Economics and Social science and Solvay Business School department of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, where he conducts research that studies the optimization of research valorization at the university level and the impact of innovation ecosystems within urban regions.