Carlijn Bouten and Niels Deen are the new scientific directors of, respectively, the new Eindhoven Institute for Transformative Health Technology (HEALTH) and the Eindhoven Institute for Renewable Energy Systems (EIRES). They take up their positions on July 1.
Carlijn Bouten is full professor of Cell-Matrix Interactions in Cardiovascular Regeneration at the Department of Biomedical Engineering and ranks among the world's leading scientists in the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. She has been active at TU/e since earning her PhD in 1995, and has been a professor since 2010.
Bouten leads national and international research consortia, has received an ERC Advanced Grant and an NWO Vici grant, is a member of the KNAW (Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences), served for six years as a ministerially appointed board member of ZonMw (the Dutch funding organization for health research and care innovation), and holds various administrative positions.
Bringing people together
Rector Silvia Lenaerts: "With Carlijn, the HEALTH Institute gets a scientific director who not only understands what constitutes excellent research, but also has a keen eye for the needs of society. Carlijn listens, brings together diverse perspectives, and knows the national and international health landscape like no one else. This makes her exceptionally well positioned to put the new HEALTH Institute on the map."
Bouten is the first scientific director of the HEALTH Institute, which will officially open in January 2027.
Transparent and reliable
Niels Deen is professor and head of the Power & Flow research group at the Department of Mechanical Engineering (ME). With his research on multiphase flows and reactor technology, he contributes to the development of sustainable industrial processes, including for hydrogen production and green steel. After earning his PhD at Aalborg University, he worked at the University of Twente and TU/e, and has been a professor since 2016.
Deen is a member of the management team of the J.M. Burgers Center (JMBC). He received an ERC Starting Grant, is closely connected to EIRES as its principal investigator and former member of the management team, and is stepping down from his role as vice dean of ME ahead of his appointment.
A keen eye for people
Lenaerts: "Niels is without doubt an outstanding researcher who stands for transparent and reliable leadership. He listens well, has an eye for people at every stage of their careers, and knows how to foster collaboration across disciplines. I am convinced that, with his open and reliable style of leadership, Niels will further strengthen EIRES and reinforce the institute's strategic position in Europe."
Deen succeeds Richard van de Sanden at EIRES, who has served as the institute's scientific director since its founding in 2020. Lenaerts: "I would like to thank Richard for his dedication. Under his leadership, EIRES has grown into, among other things, a key driving force behind systems thinking in the energy transition."
Looking forward to a new role
The newly appointed scientific directors are responding enthusiastically to their appointment and are looking forward to their new roles.
With HEALTH, we are combining our interdisciplinary strength in health technology to achieve breakthroughs with societal impact.
Carlijn Bouten
Bouten: "Our society faces enormous challenges in the field of health and care. With HEALTH, we are combining our interdisciplinary strength in health technology to achieve breakthroughs with societal impact. Together with regional and international partners, we are working on the shift from treatment to prevention and cure of chronic diseases, and on the necessary transformation of the healthcare system. I consider it a great honor to lead HEALTH and to further shape this initiative."
I am incredibly excited to work together with my colleagues at EIRES on new energy systems that our society urgently needs.
Niels Deen
Deen: "I am incredibly excited to work together with my colleagues at EIRES, in this wonderful institute, on new energy systems that our society urgently needs. I am grateful for the trust placed in me to succeed Richard van de Sanden. Together with the EIRES team, Richard built the one-stop shop in the Netherlands. Together with the EIRES team, I want to shift our focus toward Europe in the coming period."
Van de Sanden: "EIRES is in good shape, and we can look back with pride on what we have achieved. I have every confidence that Niels, together with the team, will further build EIRES into a major European player in the development of energy systems to further accelerate the energy transition."
