Meet the ReO members! Episode 16 - Jeroen van Hunen
© 2023 EPFL
Welcome to Jeroen van Hunen, the new head of the Research Office! Learn about his career and activities in the latests episode of "Meet the ReO members!" series.
How would you describe yourself in a few words?
Objective, pragmatic, and open
What has been your career path?
I studied physics at the TU-Delft and continued on for my PhD in particle physics at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. After several years of research (e.g., NIKHEF, DESY, EPFL, CERN) in Europe and North America, I spent around six years in the financial sector in Zurich. I moved back to EPFL in 2012 and since then worked as manager of the doctoral school, as deputy dean at ENAC, and - since July 2023 - as head of EPFL’s Research Office.
What does the head of the EPFL's Research Office do?
My work at the Research Office is very varied and it is difficult to be brief. I support the EPFL management and EPFL laboratories by managing the Research Office (ReO) with the aim to (i) inform the EPFL research community on funding opportunities and (ii) provide support for acquiring and managing the research funding. ReO helps with the application process (including the grant writing), contracting, and the ethical approval processes. Furthermore, ReO offers support for the management of especially large - in terms of funding and/or number of collaboration partners - research projects. In practice, there is a lot of managing, networking, informing, and staying informed.
What is driving you in your job?
A profound interest in research results, combined with a strong belief in the importance of science. I want to support the EPFL research community and make sure the scientists have all they need to perform their research.
What are the main challenges you are facing on a daily basis?
Prioritizing the many different tasks, finding time in-between meetings and events to answer emails and fulfill requests, to remain well informed about all that is important for EPFL researchers, and finally there is always the challenge to leave the office an time and have still a little bit of time with my family.
Outside EPFL, what do you enjoy doing the most?
I very much enjoy cross-country skiing as well as being creative and sustainable by constructing, repairing, and renovating the basic objects I need (house, furniture, bike, car, ...), preferably with already used materials.
What are your life and/or career aspirations?
Currently I have only one objective: Managing the best Research Office!