Stijn Oosterlynck (° 1979, Izegem) is professor of urban sociology at the University of Antwerp (UA). He teaches courses on urban studies  and on poverty and social inequality. Stijn is head of the Centre for Research on Environmental and Social Change and chairman of the Antwerp Urban Studies Institute, an interdisciplinary research platform that brings together all the urban researchers at UA. He conducts research into new forms of solidarity in diversity in cities, the politics of urban development and planning, social mix and segregation, the governance of urban diversity local social innovation and the restructuring of the welfare state,  and civil society innovation. He is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Antwerp based housing cooperative Collectief Goed and Rataplan vzw.