UCR Board of Trustees and the Executive Board of Utrecht University are proud to announce that as of January 1, 2023, Prof. Dr. Edward Nieuwenhuis will be appointed as Dean of UCR. Edward joined UCR in May 2020 as full professor in Biomedical and Life Sciences, with special attention to Pre-med in the Liberal Arts and Sciences. In just under three years, he has contributed immensely to Pre-Med and developed it further as an important field at UCR, much beloved by a considerable group of ambitious students. Edward also embedded himself in many aspects of the college, where his leadership, enthusiasm, and network made him stand out among the candidates for the position.
On confirmation of his appointment, Edward said: “Our students excel in social engagement. Important themes for them are the climate crisis, transgressive behavior, equality, diversity, inclusion, identity and gender. Our employees are extremely motivated to work with this group of young people from the outset of their university education. By providing and constantly developing our academic program and education within the Liberal Arts and Sciences tradition, we want to create a safe environment for every student and employee to be curious, gain new insights and flourish. I am very much looking forward to contributing to this as Dean of our beautiful college in Middelburg.”
“Edward Nieuwenhuis is a scientist and administrator with a great track record,” said Prof. Dr. Henk Kummeling, Rector Magnificus at Utrecht University. “He knows UCR well, and has been involved in the development of UCR’s new strategic plan 2022-2027. The selection committee was unanimous in the opinion that he brings the experience, personality and decisiveness to realize the strategic plan and allow UCR to flourish.”
Gerard van Harten, chair of the UCR Board of Trustees: “As Board of Trustees, we are very pleased that Edward has accepted the appointment to the position of Dean. Since he joined UCR, he has involved himself proactively in many aspects of the college with passion and enthusiasm. We are convinced that in his role of Dean he will act in similar ways and help shape an even more positive future for UCR.”
Before joining UCR, Edward was a Professor and Chairman of Pediatrics at the Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital, University Medical Center Utrecht. His scientific career started with a Ph.D. in mucosal immunology (Prof. Dr. C.J. Heijnen, University of Utrecht and Prof. Dr. R.S. Blumberg, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA) and now focuses on Inflammatory Bowel Disease, epithelial biology, stem cells and genetics. In addition to his research and teaching, Edward has helped to build an applied and broad research and teaching program that ranges from vaccine development, ethics on clinical trials in children, child abuse to post-traumatic stress syndrome in children
The Dean is appointed for four years and also acts as Chair of the Executive Board of University College Roosevelt.