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.
Monday 11 March
'The first day at our new location in "Gorlaeus Phase 2A", the new building. The board and services moved to the front of the building over the past few days, with the exception of SOSZ, which is a wing further from the front. The trek to our offices is still long for the first month: through the familiar side entrance of the LMUY, I follow a crawl-through sneak-through route to our offices behind the Voronoi cells that adorn the façade of the new building. From early April, the main entrance will be accessible.
When I arrive, it is a busy place. The board and services offices are arranged around a large common area with seating, high tables and a kitchenette. A kind of square that invites meeting and conversation. Today, everyone mingles there. In the rooms, there is a bustle of colleagues checking out their (shared) seats, the best place to store their things, where to put the plant they moved in with them and who their neighbours actually are.
I see many happy faces. Here and there they get used to sharing rooms with more people than they were used to, but everyone seems happy with the nice space, the "square" and the proximity of so many colleagues. Moving crates are unpacked at a rapid pace and stacked empty in the corridor. There is a lot of support walking around to help connect laptops and answer other practical questions.
At half past 10, there is a welcome moment with cake and short speeches by fellow board member Suzanne van der Pluijm and Marcia Hoogeland, head of facilities. Both emphasise how beautiful the new space is and that we have to wait a hundred days before we can consider whining about things we would like different anyway. Sensible advice! The moment is festive, there is a certain elation. Immediately it is clear how many people are now working close together who were often far apart until now. We also get a nice taste of the connecting effect of the "square".
And this is just the beginning. In the coming weeks, the building parts around us will rapidly become inhabited by mathematicians, computer scientists and astronomers. Not to mention our students. I look forward to many new encounters. And I hope they all have as good a moving experience as we do. Compliments to everyone who put in the effort!
After the welcome moment, I have my first consultation in my new room, an agenda meeting with Carey, our management assistant. This is immediately followed by an online consultation with the Research Strategy Group of UNA Europa, the European alliance of 11 top universities to which we belong. The plan of action to roll out the research strategy for the coming years is discussed. Main points are fundraising and seed funding for joint research, the organisation of summer schools and the shared supervision of PhD students. In terms of research facilities, the strategy still needs further elaboration.
After the UNA consultation, I go to The Hague for a personal meeting. Then I end the afternoon with an online consultation with Johnson & Johnson. We talk about steps we need to take to further shape our strategic alliance at the Leiden Bio Science Park.
During dinner, I talk extensively about our new offices and the fun morning. The evening continues in the gym, after which I do the final preparations at home for tomorrow. The programme then includes Ariane Briegel's Tuesday Talk. I am looking forward to her story and the conversations at the drinks afterwards. And finally I can say that this is all happening within our own building. A great milestone!'