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Mission, profile and governance

The Faculty of Science is an entrepreneurial faculty. Building on strong academic foundations in the natural and life sciences and working in close collaboration with society, we develop solutions to the complex scientific and societal challenges of our time. Through our education and research, we contribute to a sustainable, healthy, and resilient society—both now and in the future.

We are proud of the collegial working atmosphere within the faculty. Students, lecturers, researchers, and support staff combine a curious, research-oriented attitude and a results-driven approach with societal impact and entrepreneurship.

Through our education and research, we cover the full breadth of the natural and life sciences: from forest fires to big data, from obesity to malnutrition, from quark to quark, from hydrology to the universe, and from gene to medicine. The strength of our faculty lies in the connection between fundamental research and (technological) applications in complex systems and for society. The nature of our scientific education and research is highly experimental, technological, computational, inter-, and transdisciplinary. Furthermore, our education and research are inextricably linked to impact and innovation, from advanced technology to data science and AI. This makes us a natural partner in collaborations with public organisations, industry, and other scientific institutions, including the strategic alliance with the University of Twente and the strategic partnership with Amsterdam UMC and the University of Amsterdam.

The faculty has over 8,000 students enrolled in one of its 38 study programmes and employs over 1,400 staff across 10 academic departments.

Organization Chart

See how faculty are organized.

Faculty organizational name list

View a listing of the official names within the faculty.

Faculty Board

The faculty board is responsible for the overall management and takes care of policies around education, research, valorization and operations. The faculty board consists of:

Aletta Kraneveld

Dean

Faculty of Science

Pieter van Beukering

Vice-Dean Education

Faculty of Science

Davide Iannuzzi

Vice-Dean Research

Faculty of Science

Esther van den Hengel

Operations Director

Faculty of Science

Johan Gemser

Finance Director

Faculty of Science

(To be announced)

Director of Valorisation

Faculty of Science

Mareanne Karssen

Education Director

Faculty of Science

Maaike Verbree

Head of Administrative Affairs

Faculty of Science

Bart Wichers

Head HRM

Faculty of Science

Alfred van Luttikhuizen

Advisor C&M

Faculty of Science

Contact

Send an e-mail to:

Please contact the Board's Office with any general questions or Board matters: bestuurssecretariaat.beta@vu.nl

Audience

The board meets regularly and the audience is allowed to participate with an advisory vote. Currently, these are two students and one staff member:

Staff member: Melissa Bakker
Student: Thomas Verbrugge and Milou Bussing

Employees are represented by the ODC
Students are represented by the FSR

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