Biosketch
Henk A. Becker (Heinz Alfred) was born in Greifswald, Germany in 1933. His father, a Ph.D. in theoretical physics, was employed as a researcher at the Medical Faculty of the University of Greifswald at that time. Later, he was appointed director at a research centre in Berlin.
1936: the family moves to Berlin.
1945: his father, a civilian, dies. His mother, his brother and he migrate to the Netherlands in 1946 to live with family for a number of years.
1950: with his mother and brother, he moves to The Hague.
1953: he enrols as a student at Leyden University, first in the Law Faculty, two years later in Sociology.
1958: he obtains an MA in sociology at Leyden University (honours).
1956-1964: he serves as a staff member at a government departement.
1964-1968: he is appointed assistant professor in sociology of policy studies at the Institute of Sociology at the Rotterdam School of Economics, now Erasmus University Rotterdam. He is also appointed head of the research section at the Institute of Sociology.
1968: he acquires a Ph.D. in sociology at the Rotterdam School of Economics. In the same year, he is appointed professor of sociology as well as of methodology of social research, at Utrecht University.
1996: he becomes a Knight in the Order of the Dutch Lion.
1998: he formally retires as professor of sociology as well as of methodology of social impact assessment, at Utrecht University.
2000: he is awarded the Rose-Hulman Award by the International Association for Impact Assessment for his contribution to research on the demographic aspects of social impact management.
Henk Becker is married to Johanna Enzlin. The couple has two daughters and two grandsons.
An autobiography can be found in: Henk A. Becker & Johannes J.F. Schroots (Eds) (2008),
"Releasing the Potentials of Senior Scholars & Scientists", Utrecht: Igitur, p. 261-267.