{"id":91429,"date":"2018-11-01T12:48:33","date_gmt":"2018-11-01T11:48:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=91429"},"modified":"2026-02-10T16:49:59","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T15:49:59","slug":"rutger-engels-science-always-has-an-impact","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2018\/11\/01\/rutger-engels-science-always-has-an-impact\/","title":{"rendered":"Rutger Engels: \u2018Science always has an impact\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Science must make an impact, in whatever way possible, and Erasmus University must be a good place for the conduct of impactful science. This was the assignment Rutger Engels set himself when he assumed the rectorship of this university at the end of spring. Engels is the first EUR Rector who did not study or work at this university prior to being appointed to the rectorship. All the more reason to ask him about his views of Erasmus University and his plans for the future.<\/p>\n

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Rutger Engels op zijn kamer<\/span><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>

What struck you most when you first assumed your position here?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cMany researchers have close ties with the city \u2013 the local business community, the municipal government or NGOs in the city where they conduct research, where students come. I love that they have these strong ties. I was not expecting that.
\n\u201cConducting excellent research is important. But I think it\u2019s also important to make an impact through research. To make a contribution towards solving societal challenges. Well, there are plenty of those in this city.\u201d<\/p>\n

We found the following sentence on your LinkedIn profile: \u2018He is passionate about taking science to the frontline where it matters most\u2019. What do you mean by that?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cTake my field, for instance \u2013 developmental psychopathology. I am interested in atypical development in children and adolescents, and particularly in how to help them by means of prevention and intervention. I could carry out all sorts of studies, but I want my research to be used in practice. In the last ten years, this has become as important to me as the research itself.\u201d<\/p>\n\t

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CV
\nRutger Engels (born 1968) became Erasmus University\u2019s Rector Magnificus on 15 June. He is also a Professor of Developmental Psychopathology. Prior to being appointed to the rectorship, he was the Chairman of the Executive Board of the Trimbos Institute of Mental Health and Addiction. He studied Psychology at Groningen University, got his doctorate from Maastricht University and worked at Radboud University Nijmegen, Utrecht University and \u2013 \u2018very briefly\u2019 \u2013 the University of Amsterdam. Engels and his family live in Zeist. His two eldest daughters are students.<\/p>\n\n\t<\/div>\n

Can you give us an example of studies you have conducted that were socially relevant?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAmong other things, I conducted research that helped raise the minimum age for the purchase of cigarettes and alcohol from 16 to 18, and I\u2019m very proud of that. A few years ago I was awarded the Huibregtsen Prize, an award for solid research with social relevance, partly because of that study (Engels received the award in 2011 for his study on the early stages of addiction in adolescents \u2013 ed.).\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u2018This university produces more leaders in the business community than any other university. I think that\u2019s quite unique.\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

You like to emphasise the importance of impactful research. How do you intend to apply this to this university?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cModern universities have three missions: teaching, research and creating an impact. To some extent, impact can be created through the students we train. Perhaps that is the greatest impact we have. I recently read a study about the supervisory boards of major Dutch companies. This university trained over thirty percent of the members of those boards. We produce more leaders in the business community than any other university, by a considerable margin. I think that\u2019s quite unique.
\n\u201cIn addition, you can find people whose research is making an impact in all nooks and crannies of this university. Their research is having an impact on the city, on the region, on the country, and internationally. I just believe that we need to make greater use of that fact when we present ourselves to the world, and that we could do a better job of telling all our researchers, regardless of what stage of their career they are in, to focus more on that.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Rutger Engels consults with Cora Boele, who works on the academic heritage of the Erasmus University. As rector he is also responsible for this. The discussion was about the restoration of a portrait of prof. C.W. de Vries that was recently found in the Tinbergen building.<\/span><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>

Can you give us an example of a study like that?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cA little while ago I attended the \u2018In Praise of Medicine at Erasmus MC\u2019 event, where a spotlight was put on the achievements of the Department of Virology. At this department, lots of people work with cells in labs, while at the same time developing predictive models to check whether virus outbreaks can be predicted. They also work with the World Health Organization a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Does science have to make an impact by definition?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cScience always has an impact, on the person engaging in the science if not on others. Moreover, sometimes you just don\u2019t know how relevant your study will turn out to be. There have obviously been cases in which scientists spent years conducting laboratory research whose results weren\u2019t applied until much later.
\n\u201cSo science definitely shouldn\u2019t be reduced to generating an impact. There must be enough room for research that is driven by curiosity, without the need for impact measurements. Moreover, I feel that you can only create an impact if you conduct high-quality research. This is not an either\/or situation. You need both.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u2018Entrepreneurship is obviously part of this university\u2019s DNA.\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

How do you measure whether science is making an impact?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThat is one of the questions we will discuss at a conference on impact I\u2019m co-organising, to be held in November. We need to choose a model that allows us to measure impact and give us decent scores. It\u2019s no use for us to measure our impact purely by the number of patents we are awarded, because Erasmus University will do quite poorly by that yardstick, since we don\u2019t offer degrees in STEM subjects. So we\u2019ll have to select the parameters within which we seek to excel. In the long run, this will have to be part of our human resource policies. Because if you ask people to present themselves in a certain light, you must reward them for doing so too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Can you name any parameters you think are important?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t really want to go into this before the conference. The number of spin-offs might be one of them. Entrepreneurship is obviously part of this university\u2019s DNA. We attract students because of it, so we need to promote it to the best of our ability. Creating an impact may relate to the social field, to society, but it also relates to starting up businesses.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scientists are expected to publish, teach and now create an impact too. Do they need to work longer hours? Do they need to work differently?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not quite sure of that yet. We can ask researchers \u2013 particularly the more senior ones among them \u2013 to present themselves more to the public, and then reward them for doing so. I talk to all sorts of professors about the projects they undertake in the city, about their appearances in the media, their conversations with stakeholders, et cetera. These things are under-assessed in performance appraisals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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Een lijst van afbeeldingen<\/h2>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t
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