Three new board members appointed at Universities of the Netherlands

These appointments follow the departure of Professor Hester Bijl (Rector Magnificus, Leiden University), Sjoukje Heimovaara (President, Wageningen University & Research), and Machteld Roos (Vice-President, University of Twente), who are stepping down upon completion of their respective terms.

Pamela Habibović

Pamela Habibović is professor of Inorganic Biomaterials and has served as Rector Magnificus of Maastricht University since February 2022. Her research focuses on biomaterials and regenerative medicine. She was a founding partner and director of the MERLN Institute for Technology-Inspired Regenerative Medicine. Within UNL, she has already been active in various strategic areas, including the PhD system, sectoral plans, and quality assurance.

Vinod Subramaniam

Vinod Subramaniam is President of the Executive Board of the University of Twente and holds a professorship in Nanobiophysics. His academic research has explored, among other topics, the underlying mechanisms of diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. He assumed his current role at the University of Twente on 1 September 2021, after serving for six years as Rector Magnificus of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Subramaniam is no stranger to the UNL board, previously served as a board member in 2020 and 2021 during his tenure at VU Amsterdam. In recent years, he has been a leading voice within UNL on the theme of impact and valorisation.

Patrick Groothuis

Patrick Groothuis has served as Vice-President of the Executive Board of Eindhoven University of Technology since 1 November 2023. He has been with TU/e since 2012, in roles including University Secretary and Director of Education and Student Affairs. Prior to that, he held various positions at the Municipality of Rotterdam and the Ministry of Defence. Within UNL, Groothuis has played a leading role in areas such as university IT benchmarking and the development of the funding model.

About the UNL board

The board of Universities of the Netherlands consists of seven members: President Caspar van den Berg and six members drawn from the executive boards of Dutch universities. These six members also serve as (vice-)chairs of the three steering committees that advise the Board: the Steering Committee on Education & Research (SOO), the Steering Committee on Strategy, Public Affairs, Governance & Valorisation (SSPG), and the Steering Committee on Operations and Finance (SBF). All board members drawn from the executive boards of the universities are appointed to the UNL board for a two-year term.