Van Zanten & Hofstra Lead 150-Strong Team

Nynke Hofstra and Hannah van Zanten have not been acquainted for very long. They met for the first time last May during the application for two positions as chairholders of the Earth Systems & Global Change group.

Van Zanten: 'There were two openings. Carolien Kroeze, professor of Environmental Systems Analysis, was appointed as WUR rector magnificus, and Fulco Ludwig, professor of Water Systems & Global Change, moved to the International Water Management Institute. We both applied and met when we were informed we had both been selected for the position of chairholder. I was quite tense. We both said ahead of time that we were willing but wanted to get to know the other candidate first.'

What did you want to know about the other

person?

Van Zanten: 'I wanted to get a sense of Nynke's underlying values, what motivates her and why she wanted this job. I discovered we share the same values and are at the same stage in life, with our kids at a school-going age. Very nice.'

Hofstra: 'We both want to treat employees respectfully and create a pleasant atmosphere. We both cherish the underlying values of the career policies, recognition and rewards, and we both aim to contribute to solving social issues. The content of our work was clear, so we wanted an answer to the question: 'What is your management style?' We both aim to care for the team and ensure employees feel safe and can flourish. We are people-oriented.'

What was your career path so far?

Hofstra: 'I studied Environmental Sciences in Wageningen and obtained my PhD in the United Kingdom at the University of Oxford. Immediately following that, I was offered a position by the chairholder of Environmental Systems Analysis at that time, Rik Leemans. I continued in that position until 2019, when I transitioned to Carolien Kroeze's group. She also worked at Environmental Systems Analysis prior to becoming the chairholder for Water Systems & Global Change. My focus is on modelling microbiological water quality and how this is affected by climate change. My projects are located mainly in Africa and Asia, where the burden of disease caused by microorganisms in the water is much greater than it is here. However, I also conduct research in the Netherlands. On the effect of climate extremes on the concentration of pathogens in surface water used for the irrigation of raw food, for example.'

Van Zanten: 'I obtained a master's in Animal Sciences from Wageningen, after which I worked as a government trainee at the Ministry of LNV for two years. I obtained my PhD under Imke de Boer, professor of Animal Production Systems, on a study on circular animal husbandry. I went on to work at Farming Systems Ecology, where I studied food systems, including human nutrition, from a more plant-based perspective. I believe all these things merge in the systems approach within this group.'

Is the systems approach what connects you two?

Hofstra: 'Yes. Our group focuses on water systems. We link the quality and quantity of water to the food system and ecosystem. This information is then used to seek solutions, for example by developing pathways to adaptation.'

Van Zanten: 'Our group focuses on the nexus between biodiversity, climate and the use of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphate in relation to food systems. What sets this group apart is that we combine quantitative and qualitative models and methods and create connections to seek integral solutions.'

That sounds abstract. Could you provide an example?

Hofstra: 'Water companies expect issues due to climate change, which causes lengthy periods of rain. What are the water sources of the future? Our models enable us to investigate how the water systems will change in the upcoming years, and how effective the various options are that water companies could use to adapt. This information helps us develop pathways for adaptation in partnership with the water companies.'

Van Zanten: 'I developed a model of a food system with my team, which can suggest different scenarios for a food system that produces sufficient healthy food within the planet's boundaries. Because this is so complex, we developed a serious game we can play with stakeholders to develop scenarios for a sustainable food system.'

Hofstra: 'Our work is highly interdisciplinary. There is often a combination of natural sciences and social sciences research in our work.'

You are to jointly manage 150 employees. I have seen many chairholders become personal professors after a few years because they find themselves too occupied with the management side, which leaves insufficient room for research. How do you intend to address this?

Hofstra: 'The issue of chairholders having too many management responsibilities and wanting to have more time for research and teaching. A coach is now helping us identify options to make this work. As a chairholder, you have many different responsibilities, and we are now sifting through the list of tasks to determine how we will shape this job and what is achievable.'

Could you provide some examples?

Van Zanten: 'Our first point of focus is how the group is structured. We currently manage over 25 permanent staff members. Now, we, the managers who almost never have time, are the bottleneck. At the same time, our vision is that we want to have enough time to care for the group. Our coach says that anything over 10 persons under your care requires an extra layer of management to structure the work, so that we can pay attention to everyone. That means we must delegate some things and also see whether more people can be given a role in management, to fortify the culture and collaboration within the group.

How do you complement each other?

Hofstra: 'Hannah is quick to see when people are less respectful in how they interact. I often think "oh well, this is just how it is", while she is correct to say I should respond because respectful interaction is very important to me.'

Van Zanten: 'When I see a problem, I want to solve it immediately. Nynke is more relaxed and helps me put things into perspective. I am very pleased to be doing this with Nynke.'

Hofstra: 'The job of a chairholder is quite a solitary one. Everyone looks up to you, especially international staff, and an exploratory conversation is not always possible. Being able to push ideas around together is great for us.'

What aspects of the chair group do you want to fortify?

Hofstra: 'Research on water quality and water quantity is quite separated. We want to bring these closer together and perhaps even merge them. Additionally, we aim to bridge the gap between global models and local applications thereof. It would be great if we were able to use our own models in evaluating local solutions and then improve them at a global scale through the local knowledge we gained.'

Van Zanten: 'Recognition and rewarding will be a key topic. We come from a situation where everyone was assessed for their individual achievements. The research group is becoming more important, and we will also evaluate the individual contributions to the group. Additionally, we will include the employees' societal impact. Science for impact is very important to us. Also, we have really great research models for food systems, nitrogen and biodiversity. We aim to link these models to each other.'