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| Ruud van Ommen succeeds Bernard Dam as director of e-Refinery |
Last year it was announced that Bernard Dam would become head of the Chemical Engineering Department of the Faculty of AS (TNW) at TU Delft. We are pleased with the appointment of Ruud van Ommen as his successor. Ruud was previously director of DPTI (TU Delft Process technology Institute) and therefore brings extensive experience and a broad network.
We have asked them some questions about this appointment. |
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You were director of e-Refinery Institute last year. How do you look back on this period?
Bernard Dam:
First of all, I am very sorry to leave my post so soon, but I find that the directorship is incompatible with being a department head. Looking back I am very happy to see a thriving research community. Although COVID does not make life easy, we see a lot of internal collaboration. Furthermore, we have had a lot of talks with industry which I hope will pay off by generating new projects this year.
You take over from Bernard, how do you think Bernard leaves e-Refinery behind?
Ruud van Ommen:
I truly think e-Refinery is in an excellent state! We have a lot of interesting research projects ongoing – also with several other research organizations and a wide range of companies. Despite COVID, we managed to keep the community vibrant through well-attended online activities. e-Refinery is now uniting researches from many different disciplines, and the number of involved researchers is still increasing!
What do you think are the most important ongoing issues at e-Refinery and what should be done about them?
Ruud van Ommen:
There are quite some external opportunities at the moment, and it will be important for e-Refinery to play a prominent role in them. In the coming time, the “Groeifonds” proposals will be worked out in more detail. Also, the new cabinet that has just taken office announced to invest in green industry policy: this is also closely linked to the goals of e-Refinery.
Bernard Dam:
In addition, I hope we will be able to formalize our ties with TNO and develop new programs aiming at the upscaling of electro-conversion technology.
How do you see the appointment of Ruud as your successor?
Bernard Dam:
I am sure that e-Refinery will benefit from the fact that Ruud is a reactor engineer by training. He is thereby well-positioned to lead the e-Refinery to the next phase, where more emphasis will be put on the construction and demonstration of electro-conversion technology beyond the lab-scale.
What will e-Refinery notice of the new wind that blows with your appointment?
Ruud van Ommen:
Well, not too much, I hope. Bernard has been leading e-Refinery in an excellent way, and I will be happy if I manage to reach the same level of leadership! |
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