Curriculum Vitae

Full name: Peter van der Werff
Official first name: Pieter Elias
Title: Dr.
Date of birth: 25 March 1941

Academic Training

1992   Environmental Policy and Management. Free University, Amsterdam
1987   PhD. Survival Strategies in Upstream South India. University of Amsterdam
1978   Malayalam. International School of Dravidian Linguistics. Trivandrum, India
1976   MA. Development Studies and Anthropology, cum laude. University of Amsterdam
1972   Italian. Faculty of Languages and Literature. University of Amsterdam

Languages

Dutch, English, German, Italian, French, Malayalam, Greek, Latin

Professional Employment History

2006-present    Independent Consultant
2005-2006        Senior Associate, Institute for Environmental Studies, Amsterdam
2004-2004        Consultant for Development Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
1990-2004        Senior Associate, Institute for Environmental Studies, Amsterdam
1989-1990        Associate, Institute of South Asian Cultures and Languages, Leiden University
1983-1988        Lecturer, Anthropology-Sociology Centre, University of Amsterdam
1978-1982        Field Co-ordinator Indo-Dutch Kerala Project, University of Amsterdam
1963-1968        Market Researcher, United Dutch Publishers (VNU)
1960-1962        Air Traffic Control, Royal Dutch Air Force
1957-1959        International Travel Agent Lissone-Lindeman

Summary

Dr Peter van der Werff is an international consultant, conducts workshops, and guides walks. He specializes in the fields of environmental management, poverty and development, stakeholder methodology, intercultural interaction, and human ontogeny and phylogeny. He facilitates the application of participatory methodologies and indicators of cultural difference to reinforce project cycles, future scenario structuring, multi-criteria analysis and cost-benefit accounting.

He publishes articles in newspapers and periodicals about his experiences and insights gathered during his academic work. In addition, he writes an anthropological-psychological book about his father’s ancestors who were game wardens, foresters, estate managers and flower growers, or had companies for landscape gardening.

Peter van der Werff has worked in 16 states of India, and 23 other countries on all continents. He has long experience in liaison with donor agencies, governments, non-governmental organizations, local citizens and scientific counterparts.

During his studies at the University of Amsterdam he joined the inspired movement of the sixties and participated in the process of democratization in both the university and local politics.

As a child, Peter van der Werff did not appreciate the authoritarian school system he was in and started earning his own money at sixteen. The air force psychologists found he was extremely intelligent and urged him he to go to university. To get the right preparation he first studied at gymnasium, basically six languages and mathematics, while working during the day.