I am an Assistant Professor in Urban Studies at the University of Amsterdam. My research sits in the broad field of critical labour geography: understanding how precarious work in cities is defined, felt and negotiated at the intersection of labour regulations, new digital technologies, and systems of social stratification. I am particularly focused on work and employment that form the backbone for the daily operation of urban economies and social structures. This includes logistics (warehousing and last-mile delivery), the upkeep of urban spaces (maintenance and construction), and the care and domestic labour that sustains urban social life, including cleaning and food provision. By centering the worker’s perspective through ethnographic research, I study the daily strategies of navigation and contestation employed by those within these vital industries. 

My current work builds on my doctoral research at Radboud University (2019-2024, cum laude). My PhD thesis explores the social and political life of Dutch street markets, arguing that these essential public spaces are continually made, re-made and sustained through the skilled, yet often overlooked, labour of market vendors (see Watson & Van Eck, 2026). This project was foundational in shaping my ongoing interest in the often-hidden forms of labour that hold urban society and everyday life together.

My research appears in different academic journals in the field of urban studies and human geography. I have also written pieces for popular venues, including Project for Public Spaces and ESB. Since 2023, I have been the executive editor of Rooilijn, a professional Dutch website that publishes popular and scientific articles in the field of urban and spatial planning. 

I teach in the bachelor's programme Interdisciplinaire Sociale Wetenschap (ISW). I coordinate the courses Cities and Change, Amsterdam: Sensing the City, and Placemaking. I also supervise bachelor's and master's thesis projects. 

Originally from Hengelo, I moved to Amsterdam for my university studies before spending time in Nijmegen for my PhD. Now that I am back in Amsterdam, the city informs my interest in urban ethnography and narrative nonfiction - especially works centered on themes of diversity, sexuality, and inequality. Both in my research and personal life, I draw  inspiration from the writings of James Baldwin, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Judith Butler. I’m in the process of forming a reading group dedicated to these authors. Please feel free to reach out if you're interested.