Max Winters

MSc Internship

Max Winters joined studio Gear Up for a six months internship, starting mid September 2025.

His internship marks the final stage of his MSc Governance of Sustainability Transformations at Wageningen University & Research (WUR). For his thesis, Max explored political inaction on alternative fuels and its implications for the EU shipping sector, which sparked his broader interest in the production of biofuels. At studio Gear Up, he aims to deepen his understanding of how these developments are reflected in EU directives, while also gaining practical skills such as carbon accounting.

Alongside his MSc study, Max worked as a strategy consultant at De Kleine Consultant (DKC). In this role, he advised organizations of all sizes on sustainability-focused strategies. This combination of academic research, regulatory focus, and hands-on consulting experience provides a strong foundation for his internship at studio Gear Up, where he is eager to further develop his expertise and contribute to the field of sustainable energy.

Publications

High blends of renewable fuels for the heavy-duty fleet in the Netherlands

KiM Netherlands Institute for Transport Policy Analysis (Kennisinstituut voor Mobiliteit – KiM) commissioned studio Gear Up to conduct research to explore the options for high-blends of renewable fuels in the heavy-duty fleet. This research served as input for KiM’s (2025) report: Renewable fuels in high blends in road freight transport , which provides recommendations for Dutch policy makers aiming to shape climate action in the road sector. The study sets out to explore alternative fuel options available to heavy-duty vehicles given that there is “uncertainty about the pace of truck electrification”.

sGU recommendations for practical certification guidelines intermediate crops

Intermediate crops are crops planted and harvested between main crops in a crop rotation scheme. Their development, on top of existing food and feed farm output, offer additional volumes of feedstocks for the bioeconomy without requiring additional land. studio Gear Up assessed the benefits of intermediate crops, the bottlenecks for their development and deployment and provided recommendations for certification of these crops in the frame of the Renewable Energy Directive.

Consequences of ETS2 implementation on A-B-C deliveries of renewable fuels

Our research for the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management shows that the introduction of the new ETS2 emissions trading system can have important consequences for these constructions. Because these A-B-C supply constructions play a major role in the Dutch fuel market, this is expected to make the use of A-B-C supplies less attractive for fuel suppliers, with market shift and concentration likely to result.