Sultan, Salys

Position / Title

Dean Faculty of Arts and Science , Senior Lecturer SISSTEM / Program Coordinator of SISSTEM Master

Department

SISSTEM (Faculty of Arts and Science)

Email Address

salys.sultan@ua.aw

Fields of Specialization

Computer Science
Informatics

Last updated January 19, 2026

Biography

Salys Sultan is an associate professor in the Faculty of Arts and Science faculty and SISSTEM program at the University of Aruba. She is also the SISSTEM master program coordinator. Salys has over 20 years of professional and problem-solving experience. She holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science, a European Master's degree in Informatics, and a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science and Management. Currently, her research interests include data science for sustainability, software engineering, and STEM learning design.

Publication Search Results

Now showing 1 - 10 of 28

Open Access
How island researchers navigate the wicked nature of small island research. A conversation continued
(2025-06) Mertens, Anouk; Acevedo, Diego; Arens, Patrick; Becker, Tatiana; Brinklow, Laurie; de Scisciolo, Tobia; Drew, Ryan; Facun, Kryss; Hall, Iain; Halliday, Andrew Mark; John, Nigel; López Márquez, Violeta; McDonald, Anne; Mitchell, Jean; Moncada, Stefano; Noll, Dominik; Richardson, Yolanda; Sultan, Salys; van Veghel, Amber; Werleman, Stephanie; Mijts, Eric
Small islands across the globe face the direct consequences of climate change and alarming biodiversity loss. In this context, islands and islanders are sometimes framed as a “litmus test” or “the ideal laboratory” for experiments to advise larger continental areas on how to address the effects of climate change and the biodiversity crisis. Due to the specific island context, islanders are the primary problem solvers in addressing and mitigating these challenges, and finding ways to adapt to them; however, in the first place, to protect their territories, populations, ecosystems, and cultures. It is therefore crucial and urgent to adopt and integrate inter- and transdisciplinary scientific knowledge embedded within the local contexts. Given their leadership role, island-centred research by the local island-based knowledge institutes and researchers is key. Island-centred research should play a pivotal role in generating contextualized knowledge and solutions, whether or not embedded in reciprocal international partnerships with other knowledge institutes. In this presentation, we will dive deeper into the island researchers’ operating space for such island-centred research, based on insights from semi-structured interviews and interactive sessions with island researchers from a wide range of contexts and disciplines. Our data reveal that despite the many challenges of conducting research from within the islands (incl. availability and accessibility of data, or technical and logistic challenges, funding, etc.), island researchers have found an array of ways to overcome these challenges and to produce valuable and impactful results for their societies and the rest of the world. This contribution aims to be a conversation starter amongst island researchers from insular and continental (institutional) contexts to further strengthen productive and equal collaborations in island-centred research.
Open Access
The GreenComp Evaluation Roadmap: a roadmap for in-depth holistic evaluation of the integration of the GreenComp framework in higher-education curricula
(2025-01) Mertens, Anouk; Eppinga, Maarten; Arens, Patrick; de Scisciolo, Tobia; John, Nigel; Sultan, Salys; Buys, Nadine; Mijts, Eric
Purpose The GreenComp framework identifies 12 competences for sustainability as common ground for higher-education curricula. The framework can be used for self-assessment and the review of curricula. However, a step-by-step method to conduct such a self-assessment is not yet available for the GreenComp framework specifically. Therefore, the authors present the GreenComp Evaluation Roadmap allowing to evaluate the extent to which the frameworks’ competences for sustainability are integrated in higher-education curricula. The application of the GreenComp Evaluation Roadmap to a curriculum taught at the University of Aruba, allows to report on the benefits, limitations and future potential of the approach. Design/methodology/approach The proposed mixed-method approach combines hybrid qualitative and quantitative data collection on the integration of the 12 competences for sustainability of the GreenComp framework in higher-education curricula. The authors showcase its potential through application of the GreenComp framework as an evaluation tool to a science, technology, engineering and mathematics-based bachelor program taught at the University of Aruba. Findings The GreenComp Evaluation Roadmap not only allows for an evaluation of the curriculum and identification of competence gaps. It also supports educators to conduct a self-reflection on individual course(s) and the program as a whole. The paper shows promising results that the roadmap developed could be a reproducible approach. Moreover, it provides guidance to other higher education institutes for self-evaluation and self-reflection on how the competences for sustainability are integrated in their curricula and how this can be enhanced in the future. Originality/value The need to integrate sustainability throughout higher-education curricula is broadly recognized. The GreenComp Evaluation Roadmap contributes to the literature by offering a methodological approach to evaluate the integration of the 12 competences for sustainability throughout a curriculum.
Metadata only
Sustainable Island Solutions through STEM (SISSTEM) Lessons learnt, and the pathway forward
(11/27/2024) López Márquez, Violeta; Acevedo, Diego; Mijts, Eric; Mertens, Anouk; Sultan, Salys; John, Nigel
In 2019 the EDF-11 funded SISSTEM project started at the University of Aruba, an ambitious project in collaboration with the KU Leuven and with the support of UNDP to develop the facilities and programs for STEM education and research. In July 2024 the project implementation phase of the European funded part of SISSTEM was completed. In this contribution we will share the original intentions and the outcomes of the project, as well as an analysis of the critical success factors that contributed to the implementation of the project. The outcomes include two academic programs (BSc and MSc), a series of ongoing research projects, and a series of conferences and publications that contribute to the development of a critical mass of island researchers that support both local and global sustainability efforts and agendas. Throughout the implementation of the project a series of obstacles were identified, such as the complexities of international project management for small island development (including logistic and technical challenges), intercultural awareness management, expectation management, marketing/image management and the complexities of recruitment of students and academic staff to participate in pioneering programs.
Open Access
Dutch Caribbean Research Week 2024 - Aruba, 27 November
(2024-11-27) Abarkan, Abida; Acevedo, Diego; Bonnevalle-Kok, Ruth; de Droog, Mieke; Grêaux, Kimberly; John, Nigel; López Márquez, Violeta; Meijer, Hannah; Mertens, Anouk; Mijts, Eric; Sultan, Salys
Contributions by University of Aruba researchers to the Dutch Caribbean Research week 2024 (20-27 November). Individual contributions can also be found via: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14473/1213 https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14473/1423 https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14473/1390 https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14473/1425 https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14473/1426 https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14473/1427 https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14473/1323 https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14473/1422
Open Access
Aruba Labor Market Trends and the Role of Education: Key Insights and Strategies for Adaptation, a Gap Analysis
(2024-04) Sultan, Salys; Ganga, Navin; Mijts, Eric
Open Access
The carbon footprint of vegetable imports into Aruba: A closer look at sea and air transport
(Elsevier, 2024) van Veghel, Amber; van Veghel, Amber; Sultan, Salys; Geeraerd Ameryckx, Annemie
This study aimed to give insights into low-carbon vegetable import strategies for Aruba, a Dutch Caribbean island. Our selected products were potatoes, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and green beans. The products originated from 13 different countries, and 25 product-country combinations were identified. The system boundaries were from the farm until arrival at the supermarket. We identified actual maritime transport routes, and calculated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of passenger aircrafts flying from Amsterdam to Aruba. Vegetables imported by air had significantly higher GHG emissions (4.2–8.3 kg CO2eq per kg) than products imported by sea (0.4–2.3 kg CO2eq per kg). GHG emissions of road transport generally contributed more than those of other life cycle stages, except when products showed a high contribution of agriculture. Although sea transport was calculated with much detail, it usually did not contribute much to the GHG emissions. We recommend Life Cycle Practitioners to consider aircraft characteristics when calculating GHG emissions of air transport, and to include the weight of the 80 kg AKE container, used for cooled airfreight, when allocating impacts between passengers and freight. For this case study, GHG emissions of specific passenger aircrafts always resulted in lower GHG emissions compared to generic calculations.
Open Access
Insights from a sustainability-oriented academic bachelor program in a Caribbean Small Island State: evaluation of SISSTEM using the GreenComp Framework
(International Conference on Sustainable Development 2023, 2023) Mertens, Anouk; Buys, Nadine; Gielen, Georges; de Scisciolo, Tobia; Eppinga, Maarten; John, Nigel; Sultan, Salys; Mijts, Eric
Open Access
Local solutions for sustainability challenges through STEM education and research in Aruba
(UNESCO, 2023) Mertens, Anouk; Arens, Patrick; Buys, Nadine; Gielen, Georges; John, Nigel; Sultan, Salys; Mijts, Eric
Open Access
Small islands, big impact: Charting the way forward for Sustainable Development through Education, Collaboration, Research and STEM
(University of Aruba, 2023) Mertens, Anouk; Buys, Nadine; Arens, Patrick; Gielen, Georges; Sultan, Salys; John, Nigel; Mijts, Eric
Open Access
Kleine eilanden, grote impact: op weg naar duurzame ontwikkeling door middel van onderwijs, samenwerking, onderzoek en STEM.
(University of Aruba, 2023) Mertens, Anouk; Buys, Nadine; Arens, Patrick; Gielen, Georges; Sultan, Salys; John, Nigel; Mijts, Eric