Photo (©) Femke Tabak.
Published on Mar 15, 2023.
Since October 2022, I have joined HFML-FELIX as managing director of the institute. For me this means a return to physics: I started my career at the University of Leiden, where I studied surface science and the development of high-speed scanning probe microscopy during my PhD. After my PhD, I took the opportunity to work at a start-up company making graphene for industrial applications. In 2018, I transitioned from doing scientific research myself to research policy and research funding. I have worked for five years at the Dutch Research Council, mainly involved in public-private collaborations and policy development for all fields of science. I am driven by a motivation to combine policy with execution, to develop a strategy on a subject and then make it work. At HFML-FELIX, I am responsible for the management of the office and the operational affairs, and with the Scientific Directors I work on the funding strategy and internal organization. In my free time, I’m enjoying nature around the village where I live, sometimes with my children, other times training for the occasional cross-triathlon that I like to do. For the future, I am looking forward to joining and further developing the collaboration with EMFL.
