The Amsterdam Interdisciplinary Centre for Higher Education Research (AICHER) brings together researchers from across the UvA’s faculties to study how higher education can become more effective, fair and future-proof. Using a mixed-methods approach, we combine insights from educational science, psychology, economics, sociology, and the natural and physical sciences, together with AI and data science, to understand how universities can serve a growing and diverse student population in an increasingly complex world.
As an interdisciplinary research centre, AICHER connects researchers, the UvA’s teaching and learning centers, and policymakers within and beyond the university, ensuring that our research translates into lasting impact on the quality of higher education.
AICHER hosts biweekly seminars and co-working sessions at the UvA’s Institute for Advanced Study (IAS), where researchers share work in progress and exchange insights across disciplines. We also organise larger events together with partners such as the UvA’s Teaching and Learning Center network. In 2026 we organised the first edition of the Higher Education Research Festival, a full day bringing teachers, researchers and policymakers together to explore the themes shaping higher education today, from teaching innovation to the growing role of AI in the classroom. AICHER also offers grassroot grants to support new research ideas, and will be sharing updates through newsletters, keeping the wider UvA community connected to our work.
With AICHER, we aim to build a lasting, interdisciplinary community around higher education research at the UvA. Our goal is to ensure that research findings translate into concrete improvements in teaching practice and higher education policy, both within the UvA and beyond.