Prof. Dr. Ruud J. A. Muffels (MA economics, Tilburg) is full professor of socio-economics (labor market and social security) at the Department of Sociology of Tilburg University. He is research fellow at NETSPAR, the network for research on ageing at the Economic Faculty, DIW-Berlin, and IZA-Bonn. As of July 1, 2015 he became also the director of Reflect – Research Institute on Flexicurity, Labor Market Dynamics and Social Cohesion at Tilburg University. His primary interests concern labour market and welfare economics and economic sociology. Particular topics of interest concern labour market dynamics, income and poverty dynamics, comparative analysis of the welfare state, pensions and early retirement, and socio-economic policy. He has published in a wide range of economic, sociological and interdisciplinary journals (Proceedings of the American National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, Journal of Sociological Methodology, Quantity and Quality, Journal of Population Economics, Social Indicators Research, Journal of Public Policy, Journal of Socio-Economics, Journal of European Social Policy, Acta Sociologica, Work Employment and Society, Labour, International Journal of Manpower, Vocational Training, etcetera) and in a large number of international academic volumes. Among his most recent (English) books are Flexibility and Employment Security in Europe: Labour Markets in Transition, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar (2008) and Innovating Labour Markets in Europe: Dynamics and Perspectives, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar (together with Ester, Schippers and Wilthagen; 2008). Earlier books are Enabling Social Europe (with B. von Maydell & R. Leitner, Springer-Verlag, 2006), Social Exclusion in European Welfare States in 2002 (with P. Tsakloglou and D. Mayes, Edward Elgar, 2002) and The Real Worlds of Welfare Capitalism in 1999 (with Robert E. Goodin and Bruce Headey, Cambridge University Press, 1999).

He joined IZA as a Research Fellow in September 2012.