N.M.A. Huijts (Nicole)

Assistant Professor
BMS-HIB-PCRS
Capitool 15 121
n.m.a.huijts@utwente.nl
+31534894569
Business card

Nicole Huijts is assistant professor in the domains of risk perception, environmental psychology and human-technology interaction. The focus of her research is on the public perception and acceptance of new technologies in the domains of energy, ICT and transport. Nicole has extensive experience with multi-disciplinary research and education, particularly bringing together the fields of psychology, engineering and ethics. Previous to working at the University of Twente, she worked at the Eindhoven and Delft Universities of Technology.

Expertise

  • Social Sciences

    • Technology
    • Hydrogen Fuel
    • Acceptance
    • Hydrogen

  • Computer Science

    • Decision-Making
    • Models

  • Earth and Planetary Sciences

    • Science and Technology
    • Public

Organisations

I am Assistant Professor in the Psychology of Conflict, Risk and Safety Group at the University of Twente. My research focuses on human decision making in relation to potentially very beneficial technologies that at the same also bring (actual and/or perceived) new risks. I investigate this from a psychological perspective while taking into account contextial factors, such as the design, governance and geography of the technology, as well as ethical considerations. With my research, I generally aim to develop insights that aid in reducing the societal risks of potentially beneficial technologies. Prior to working at the University of Twente, I have worked at the TU Eindhoven and TU Delft.

In am currently leader of University of Twente working group on Privacy, Security and Behavior, board member and past president in the Benelux Chapter of the Society for Risk Analysis-Europe, and member of the Utwente Environmental Sustainability & Behaviour Change working group. I am also affiliated to the UU/TUe Fair Energy Transition Consortium and the 4TU Center for Ethics and Technology.

I am reviewing for a broad range of often interdisciplinary journals such as Energy Research and Social Science, Frontiers in Environmental Psychology, Energy Policy, Journal of Risk Research, and Risk Analysis. 

I have an MSc degree with honorable mention in Technology and Society from the Eindhoven University of Technology and a PhD degree from the Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management of the Delft University of Technology. I also have been a four months exchange student at the department of Engineering and Public Policy of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, USA, and a one year scholar at the Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious studies of the Radboud University, Nijmegen.

Publications

2024

We are not equipped to identify the first signs of cyber–physical attacks: Emotional reactions to cybersecurity breaches on domestic Internet of Things devices (2024)Applied Sciences, 14(24). Article 11855. Budimir, S., Fontaine, J. R. J., Huijts, N. M. A., Haans, A., IJsselsteijn, W. A., Oostveen, A.-M., Stahl, F., Heartfield, R., Loukas, G., Bezemski, A., Filippoupolitis, A., Ras, I. & Roesch, E. B.https://doi.org/10.3390/app142411855Values as causes of emotions and acceptability in the digital risk context: an extension of the values scale with privacy (2024)Journal of risk research (E-pub ahead of print/First online). Huijts, N. & Haans, A.https://doi.org/10.1080/13669877.2024.2423203Nudging purchase intention towards more secure domestic IoT: The effect of label features and psychological mechanisms (2024)Computers in human behavior reports, 14. Article 100386. Walterscheid, M., Huijts, N. & van Sintemaartensdijk, I.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbr.2024.100386

2023

User experiences with simulated cyber-physical attacks on smart home IoT (2023)Personal and ubiquitous computing, 27, 2243-2266. Huijts, N., Haans, A., Budimir, S., Fontaine, J. R. J., Loukas, G., Bezemski, A., Oostveen, A.-M., Filippoupolitis, A., Ras, I., IJsselsteijn, W. & Roesch, E. B.https://doi.org/10.1007/s00779-023-01774-5A fairway to fairness: Toward a richer conceptualization of fairness perceptions for just energy transitions (2023)Energy research & social science, 103. Article 103213. Bal, M., Stok, M., Bombaerts, G., Huijts, N., Schneider, P., Spahn, A. & Buskens, V.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2023.103213

2022

Do privacy and safety as values influence emotions towards a smart home device? (2022)In Living with risks: sharing the good practice (pp. 26-26). Huijts, N.https://sra-e2022ns.ftn.uns.ac.rs/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Zbornik_SRA-E_sa_CIP-om.pdfUnequal means more unfair means more negative emotions?: Ethical concerns and emotions about an unequal distribution of negative outcomes of a local energy project. (2022)Energy policy, 165. Article 112963. Huijts, N., Contzen, N. & Roeser, S.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2022.112963Victim’s negative emotion processes in cybersecurity breach situations: a testimony of anger and fear-related emotion processes (2022)[Working paper › Preprint]. Social Science Research Network (SSRN). Budimir, S., Fontaine, J. R. J., Haans, A., Huijts, N., Loukas, G. & Roesch, E. B.https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4101947

2021

Emotional reactions to cybersecurity breach situations: Scenario-based survey study (2021)Journal of medical internet research, 23(5). Article e24879. Budimir, S., Fontaine, J. R. J., Huijts, N. M. A., Haans, A., Loukas, G. & Roesch, E. B.https://doi.org/10.2196/24879

2020

Creating ‘Local Publics’: Responsibility and Involvement in Decision-Making on Technologies with Local Impacts (2020)Science and engineering ethics, 26(4), 2215-2234. Pesch, U., Huijts, N. M. A., Bombaerts, G., Doorn, N. & Hunka, A.https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-020-00199-0

Research profiles

I currently teach in the courses Psychology of Safety, Cognition and Development, Research Methods and Research Project, Risk and Leadership and supervise BSc and MSc theses. 

Affiliated study programs

Courses academic year 2024/2025

Courses in the current academic year are added at the moment they are finalised in the Osiris system. Therefore it is possible that the list is not yet complete for the whole academic year.

Courses academic year 2023/2024

Address

University of Twente

Capitool 15 (building no. 78), room 121
Capitool 15
7521 PL Enschede
Netherlands

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