TU/e has appointed prof.dr.ir. Gerrit Kroesen as dean of the Department of Applied Physics with effect from 1 September. Prof.dr. Herman Clercx will be vice-dean. Both have been appointed for a period of four years.

The Executive Board has every confidence in the expertise and leadership skills of the new management, at a time of many new developments for the university. There is also broad support in the department for the appointments of Kroesen and Clercx, who have worked at TU/e for 26 and 25 years respectively, which means they possess extensive knowledge both of their field and of the department. The Executive Board expects that these appointments will ensure the binding leadership that is necessary for the planned move of the department. Its new accommodation will be completed in fall 2014 on the site of the old ‘N-laag’ building, which is now empty.

Kroesen says he looks forward to taking up his new position with strong motivation and a high level of ambition. “I want to see the department gain the status to which it’s entitled, with a stronger image and reputation, a bigger inflow of first-year students, a higher percentage of female students and improved study results. As well as that I want to further develop the internal coherence and collaboration within the department. If all of us – management and group leaders – work together and make our best efforts, we can successfully tackle every challenge.”

Gerrit Kroesen (1958) has been full professor of Plasma Physics at TU/e since 2000, and since 2008 vice-dean of the Department of Applied Physics. Herman Clercx (1961) started his career in 1987 as a doctoral candidate in the same department. Since 2006 he has been full professor of Transport in Turbulent Flows at TU/e. He has also been part-time professor of Mathematical Modelling of Geophysical Flows at the University of Twente since 2005.

Kroesen is the successor to prof.dr.ir. Klaas Kopinga, who has been dean since 2005 and will retire in October 2013.