Jasper's day
Jasper Knoester is the dean of the Faculty of Science. How is he doing, what exactly does he do and what does his day look like? In each newsletter, Jasper gives an insight into his life.
Thursday 24 October
‘I wake up in Edinburgh, where we, together with the Executive Board and the deans, are guests of the university. It’s my first time in Scotland, which is a nice bonus. We’ve had a strong relationship with the University of Edinburgh for many years, and our visit aims to further strengthen this collaboration. Besides our bilateral relations, we are partners in the European alliance Una Europa, and we share responsibility for several projects within this framework.
We are staying in a hotel in the historic centre, The Old Town. After breakfast, we walk up a steep hill to The Old School. This university building dates back to 1582 and is a typical British administrative building. The combination of the rising sun, the clouds, and the old town makes for a beautiful scene.
We start the day with introductions from Peter Mathieson, Principal of the University of Edinburgh, and our Executive Board Chair, Annetje Ottow, focusing on the challenges faced by both institutions. There are many similarities: in Edinburgh, too, there are significant concerns about budgets and restrictions on international student enrolment. It is striking how well they are informed about the current political situation in the Netherlands, and they are willing to offer assistance wherever possible. In turn, Leiden has also been actively trying to help with the consequences of Brexit for several years, for example, by promoting and supporting Edinburgh’s role within Una Europa—a European Union initiative—despite the UK no longer being part of the EU.
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Edinburgh in the morning -
The Old School -
Edinburgh Futures Institute, located in the old hospital -
The signing of a collaboration agreement by our rector, Hester Bijl, and Principal Peter Mathieson
The next session is dedicated to ongoing research collaborations and future prospects. Researchers first present some existing partnerships, including a project in astronomy for the sciences. Then, as co-chair of the Una Europa Research Strategy Group, I present a vision for the future of research collaboration within the alliance, emphasizing the need for stronger efforts in joint research funding and the continuation of summer and winter schools.
Even during lunch, we continue working, discussing the Global Futures Hub that both universities aim to establish together at our Campus The Hague. This initiative would help Edinburgh strengthen its presence within the EU and provide us with an opportunity to attract more international talent to our university. So far, our faculty hasn’t been heavily involved in this early-stage collaboration, but in the future, we could certainly contribute in areas such as sustainability, biodiversity, and artificial intelligence. First, however, I’d like to further strengthen our collaboration with our sister faculty in Edinburgh.
Between sessions, I take the opportunity to coordinate with Marlies Reinders (Dean of LUMC), Annetje Ottow, and, over the phone, with Pieter Schipper about a major programme application for the Health Holland top sector. The deadline is in three working days, and it’s convenient to be close together today, with Pieter readily available by phone.
The second half of the afternoon is spent at the Edinburgh Futures Institute, located in the old hospital that was spectacularly renovated a few years ago. The blend of historic and modern architecture is beautifully executed. The building is open to staff, students, start-ups, and the people of Edinburgh, in line with the hospital’s original mission: inscribed on its façade from 1729, it says that everyone, even strangers, is welcome.
The evening dinner begins with the signing of a collaboration agreement by our rector, Hester Bijl, and Principal Peter Mathieson. During dinner, I finally get the chance to speak with Neil Robertson, “Dean of International Relationships” from our sister faculty in Edinburgh. We agree that there is great potential and that we should continue discussions via email and online. I plan to discuss this further with the institutes back in Leiden. After dinner, everyone is quite tired. There’s little interest in socializing further after such an intense day. That can wait until tomorrow morning, during an internal meeting before we travel back.’