You have now been dean of the faculty for a little over 100 days. What was your first impression of the faculty? 

“What strikes me is that everyone has a lot of passion for research and educating young scientists. I find that very nice to see. There is sometimes some grumbling, but people are genuinely attached to the university and the faculty. There is also a lot of laughter. People really feel at home here, you can tell. Furthermore, people are very helpful. If the dean doesn't know something or knocks on the wrong door, I am always guided to where I need to be. I am very happy about that.” 

I also notice that the research is of really high quality. When I first arrived, I wanted to focus on expanding the Technology Profile. I soon realised that people are already doing a lot in that area. There is a lot of collaboration with third parties and knowledge transfer to others: to students and university staff as well as those outside of it. That is impressive and more than I had initially thought. 

I also notice that we do more at the faculty than we talk about. I think it's better to do more than you talk about, but sometimes we should promote the wonderful initiatives that are being developed and the rich research environment and infrastructure we have at the Faculty of Science. We do much more than you see on the surface, and people are very passionate.” 

Is there anything you had a certain idea about beforehand, but now turns out to be different? 

“What I just mentioned, there is already much more work being done on the Technology Profile than I had anticipated. It's a matter of strengthening rather than setting up. And I had expected a decentralised organisation, but the UvA is perhaps even more decentralised than I had understood. Sometimes that’s nice, you have a lot of autonomy, but in other areas, it somewhat hinders progress.  

For example, I hadn't signed a ‘wet signature’ in my previous role for a long time; everything was done digitally. Therefore, I expected there to be a central digital signature system, but there isn’t. Also, there is no central PhD registration system. Fortunately, that is being developed now. These practical issues surprised me. I also spend more time on topics such as knowledge security and collaboration with third parties. These are obviously important topics, but I had perhaps underestimated how much time they currently require.” 

What have you focused on in the past 100 days, and what have you changed or continued? 

“I have changed a few small things, such as the frequency of DT meetings. We now meet once every two weeks, and in the other weeks, we have time for brainstorming on specific themes. As a new dean, I really needed that because I wanted to know more deeply about many themes and what we as a faculty want and can do with them, without having to make immediate decisions. But there is little room for that in a formal meeting. Sometimes as a faculty board, you want to delve into a theme first before knowing whether you need to make decisions about it. 

Furthermore, I have been involved in the faculty's multi-year plan, especially the budget, budget discussions, and the next cycle therein. A lot of time is now spent thinking about how we can take the next step in the multi-year plan, a deeper implementation. For example, we are now working on strategic personnel planning for all institutes, the FB, and ESC, which is a big step. We will do this in phases to keep it manageable. In times of cutbacks, it is crucial to make strategic choices on where to allocate the scarce resources so that you can continue to invest. 

And, of course, I have been busy with introductions. My schedule is full of appointments to meet people from across the faculty.” 

Have you experienced anything fun or special recently? 

“The day before I started, I was here at the Flux Festival. I received a goodie bag from a study association, and it contained two left slippers. I found that quite funny. I thought, does everyone in the the study association only have left feet, or do they think I have two left feet? ; ) I think it was a mistake, but I had to laugh when I wanted to put them on. Perhaps someone has two right ones and would like to swap with me.  

I have also had many enjoyable encounters with people with impact and vision. That is really wonderful. A colleague from elsewhere recently asked me, ‘How do you like your new job?’ and I started explaining enthusiastically. After a few sentences, I was interrupted with ‘You really enjoy it, don't you? You radiate that completely’. So I also like that people can see how much I am enjoying myself here.” 

What are your plans for the next 100 days? 

“As I mentioned, the faculty's multi-year plan needs to be fleshed out. Strategic personnel planning and its implementation will receive a lot of attention in the coming period. Furthermore, I want to advance the diversity policy and Recognition and Rewards. This is important in this faculty, partly by focusing on leadership. I think this is an important topic we need to address. Especially leadership at the level below institute managers and directors, because those are the people who are engaged every day in leading and guiding the development of our staff. By investing there, you can make a significant difference as an organisation. 

I also want to pay more attention to team thinking, both at the faculty level and within the institutes. I think we can get even more out of that. These are all things we were already working on but need further steps in implementation.” 

Do you have any message for your colleagues? 

“I want to thank everyone very much because I feel very welcome and supported. This is because people are very warm and don’t mind that I don’t know everything immediately and think along with me. I am still learning a lot about the topics that are playing out in the faculty. I appreciate having the space for that. 

We face considerable financial challenges, but I am confident that if we all pull together, we will manage. I think we can do this together, as a team. So that gives me a positive feeling for the future.”