With a long career as a physicist and entrepreneur, Davide Iannuzzi now focuses on supporting researchers and helping the faculty strengthen its research agenda.
From researcher to facilitator
Earlier in his career, Iannuzzi led his own physics lab and supervised PhD candidates while conducting research. Alongside this, he became increasingly interested in the societal impact of science, particularly through entrepreneurship and collaboration with external partners.
Over time, he realised that supporting others in bringing their ideas into society was becoming just as rewarding as conducting research himself, which led him to found the Demonstrator Lab, an incubator that helps researchers and students translate their ideas into real-world applications.
“At some point I had to decide what I really wanted to focus on. It became difficult to combine supporting others with continuing my own research. So, I decided that my way of creating impact would be to support other people in doing so.”
That decision marked the end of his own research programme and the start of a new phase in his career. “I often describe it as moving from being a player on the football field to sitting on the bench,” he says. “I’m not on the field anymore. My role is to support.”
Bringing opportunities into the faculty
As Vice Dean of Research, Iannuzzi sees his role primarily as enabling researchers to do their work as effectively as possible. “The content of research is created in departments, sections and research groups. The faculty board is there to facilitate and support them in reaching their goals.”
Part of that involves strengthening the faculty’s research strategy and creating opportunities for collaboration. Iannuzzi works to connect researchers with external partners, funding opportunities and broader research programmes. “I try to bring opportunities into the faculty, but also to make sure that our researchers’ interests are represented in the places where important decisions are made. Researchers often experience practical barriers that make their work more difficult than it needs to be. If I can help remove those obstacles, that already makes a big difference.”
Harmony between different perspectives
The Faculty of Science is broad, spanning multiple disciplines and research cultures. That diversity can sometimes lead to different perspectives, but Iannuzzi sees it as a strength. “Part of my job is creating harmony between those different perspectives. One area where the faculty already has significant strengths is technology-related research, including fields such as deep tech and health tech. There is a renewed awareness that we have strong opportunities in those areas.”
These opportunities include collaborations with external partners, funding agencies and companies in the Amsterdam region and beyond. “We can offer the full chain: from fundamental science to the application of technology in society. The problems we face today are complex. Because our faculty is so broad, we are well positioned to analyse and address those complex problems.”
Ultimately, Iannuzzi believes that by supporting researchers and strengthening collaboration within and beyond the faculty, universities can play an important role in addressing societal challenges. “If we work together across the faculty and with external partners, I believe we can make the world a lot better.”