Role
Sander De Leeuw is Professor Emeritus in Supply Chain Management.
He has been at NTU since 2012 and became a Professor Emeritus in October 2025. An industrial engineer by background, Sander's specialist subject is Supply Chain Management, with a specific focus on food supply chains, circular supply chains, and healthcare supply chains.
He works with a variety of methods and prefers to include behavioural aspects in his work. He has authored numerous papers on a variety of topics in supply chain management and related areas. Sander supervises several Business Research Project students.
He is still active as chaired professor at Wageningen University in the Netherlands where he heads the Operations Research & Logistics group.
Career overview
Sander completed his PhD at Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands in Management Science & Operations Management. He has extensive industrial experience as a management consultant at amongst others KPMG. He has held academic positions at MIT's Center for Technology, Policy and Industrial Development (USA), at Babson College (USA), at Eindhoven University of Technology (the Netherlands), and at Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam (the Netherlands).
Sander has an MSc and a PhD in Industrial Engineering/Management Science from Eindhoven University (the Netherlands).
Research areas
Dr Sander’s research is dedicated to optimising supply chains in both for-profit and non-profit sectors, to foster a healthy and sustainable living environment. His work addresses the economic, social, and environmental sustainability of supply chains across three key areas:
- Food Supply Chains
Investigating sustainable menu planning, modelling, and supply chain network design. - Circular Supply Chains
Focusing on logistics optimisation to support a circular economy. - Healthcare Supply Chains
Using quantitative methods to stress-test and enhance healthcare logistics systems.
Dr Sander applies a broad range of quantitative research methods, including mathematical optimisation, simulation, econometric analysis, surveys, and choice experiments. He also has experience with qualitative research techniques.
His work has been published in a wide range of academic journals. He has been awarded grants from various funders throughout Europe throughout his career.
In the UK, his research has been funded by the British Council/Newton Fund on equitable COVID vaccine distribution and allocation, and by ESRC for work on cash and voucher distribution in humanitarian aid.
External activity
Dr Sander is a chaired professor at Wageningen University, where he leads research in sustainable logistics and supply chain management. He has held several academic and professional appointments, including:
- Assistant/Associate/Full Professor of Logistics, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (2005-2020)
- Visiting Lecturer at the University of Pretoria (Executive Programme on Logistics, 2001-2017)
- Guest Editor for special issues in:
- International Journal of Operations and Production Management (2014)
- International Journal of Operations and Quantitative Management (2014)
- Journal of Operations Management (2023)
- European Editor for the Journal of Business Logistics (ongoing)
- Member of the editorial board of the International Journal of Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Journal of Operations Management, and the International Journal of Operations and Production Management (ongoing).
- Chair of the programme committee for the Dutch Top Sector for Logistics (ongoing).