His research specialises in local political-executive leadership. His PhD-project focused on public leadership accountability in consensus democracies. Between 2004 and 2007 Niels was a researcher for the Centre for Local Democracy (Erasmus University Rotterdam), while he was a student-assistant of dr. L. Schaap. Between 2002 and 2004 he was a student-member of the Public Administration Education Committee, Erasmus University Rotterdam.