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Personal stories about the impact of technology

  • Robert-Jan Korteland makes educational innovation visible

    Ever since his early years in education, Robert-Jan Korteland has been putting his fascination with didactics into practice. With a background in optics and optometry, he wondered during his studies in educational sciences: “Can a teacher teach better if they can see in real time what a student is looking at?”
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    Robert Jan Korteland at work on his laptop

  • Alexandra van Huffelen: driver of big moves

    "AI can be applied in education and research in a values-driven way"

    Digital transition has been a central theme throughout Alexandra van Huffelen’s career. Now, as president of the Executive Board of Radboud University Nijmegen, she is committed to digital autonomy and the development of the region.
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    Alexandra van Huffelen stands next to a staircase and looks into the camera, smiling.

  • Anna Posthumus Meyjes:

    "AI is a blessing, as long as we teach students to think critically"

    When Anna Posthumus Meyjes (42) talks about her work, her enthusiasm is unmistakable. The lecturer-researcher in Biology & Medical Laboratory Research at Leiden University of Applied Sciences radiates passion. "It makes me happy to show students what I have experienced myself in the lab. If you manage to convey that enthusiasm, something truly special happens."
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    Anna Posthumus zit achter een microscoop in een lab, ze kijkt lachend de camera in.

  • Nati Sack: responsible tech

    AI could make people more creative

    For philosopher and AI researcher Nati Sack, responsible AI is not just a concept to reflect upon. It is a way of doing things, of taking responsibility and of making conscious decisions. "Developers make what people want."
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    Nati Sack gefotografeerd buiten in tuin

  • "I love the solidarity within the SURF cooperative"

    Paul Hillman: man on a mission

    Paul Hillman is CIO of the MUMC+. Until a year ago, he regularly walked around in the uniform of the US Air Force. Two completely different worlds with one important similarity, according to Paul: a mission focused mindset. "IT is not important, what matters to me is the people," he says.
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    Paul Hillman staat in de gang en leunt tegen een glazen wand

  • Kees Verhoeven on digitisation, democracy and common sense

    "We need to swim out of the digital trap"

    As a member of parliament for D66, Kees Verhoeven focused on digitalisation. Today, as an independent tech expert, he is committed to a human society in the digital age. Verhoeven worries about the way digital technology is imposed, without freedom of choice or ethical debate.
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    Kees Verhoeven staart uit het raam

  • Raoul Winkens: data protection officer

    Idealism and compliance

    For seven years now, Raoul Winkens has been guarding Maastricht University's data. As a data protection officer, he thinks the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is about more than privacy. “A good DPO should also be a good salesperson.”
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    Raoul Winkens

  • Open science champion Sarah Coombs

    Research support is a top-class sport

    How do you embed open science in hbo? Sarah Coombs does so with a mix of expertise, networking, games and tenacity. "I would like to see the DCC-PO fully recognised as a centre of expertise for research support. That we don't have to keep begging for money, but are collectively seen as experts."
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    Sarah Coombs portrait by Jelmer de Haas