Wijnand researches and designs governance in infrastructure environments, primarily related to mobility. Wijnand's core work focuses on designing, contracting, and managing public and shared transport services, as well as the associated infrastructure, such as railway lines and transport hubs. Managing complex infrastructure projects is a key part of this focus.
Recently, Wijnand's work has increasingly addressed the added complexity of cross-sectoral projects—such as those involving both energy and transport, or road and rail—within the context of major societal transitions. For example, Wijnand manages the research programs of NGinfra in collaboration with NWO (0.2 FTE) for six public partners: Alliander, Port of Rotterdam, ProRail, Rijkswaterstaat, Schiphol, and Vitens.
Wijnand works directly with government agencies and operators, advising them on the contracting of services and infrastructure. Wijnand positions himself as a sectoral expert in public transport, integrating the perspectives of travelers, operators, and government to design effective governance and institutional interventions. Wijnand also holds a strong position in the global research community on this topic.
Wijnand's work is transdisciplinary. Engineering, economics, public administration, organizational science, travel behavior, urban planning, and decision-making all play major roles in understanding the effectiveness of mobility systems. Each discipline highlights key mechanisms that explain the outcomes of mobility systems for society. Wijnand's main strength is integrating these mechanisms into feasible and comprehensive interventions in the transport sector.