Ilona van Heijst is an Assistant Professor at the University of Amsterdam (UvA), where she works within the Department of Domain-Specific Learning. She is affiliated with the Graduate School of Child Development and Education and the Interfaculty Teacher Education Institute (ILO). Her research focuses on the professional development, identity formation, learning processes of (second-career) teachers and workplace learning in schools. Within the ILO, Ilona coordinates Aan de Slag voor de Klas, an alternative certification route specifically designed for second-career teachers.