Mark van der Meijde

A few years later I was offered another PhD position, at ETH Zürich, Switzerland. This position was more practically oriented, focusing on earth structures in the Mediterranean and featuring fieldwork and the actual installation and maintenance of measuring equipment. That sounded more like my cup of tea, so I decided to go for it. After the Zürich assignment, I was involved in a similar project in Brazil. I've always been a hands-on type of scientist. Contrary to many of my colleagues I still love to go out there, collect my own data and be able to see first-hand what kind of data I'm getting.'

In 2003 I successfully applied for a position as assistant professor in Geological Modelling here. I was still on a temporary contract when the Indonesia earthquake and tsunami struck, in 2004. I was then moved forward as an expert and soon given a permanent position at ITC. Around 2006 I took the opportunity to integrate more geophysics into my daily activities. In 2009 I was the first to enter the brand new ITC tenure track, with a research plan that consisted of a mix of earth observation and subjects in my own field. I was nominated for the tenure track by a group of senior researchers in my department. Mind you, my decision to accept was not the result of some long-time ambition to be a full professor. The main reason for me was a constant need to be challenged. Once I've worked somewhere for a few years I need new impulses to stay sharp and motivated. The milestones to be achieved in the tenure track were just what I was looking for.'

'Obviously, being the first meant being faced with all kinds of experience adjustments. The rules and terms were constantly being adapted and finetuned in those pioneering days. To further complicate things, when I started my tenure track ITC was not yet part of the University of Twente. Even so, the first stages of my tenure track were pretty smooth. As I had already built up a considerable track record in terms of publications, projects and education, getting started was not too complicated. Having said that, I was still a bit young and restless at the time, and naive in the ways of academic mores. That got me into some interesting discussions.'

'Originally, the tenure track was meant as a training programme to become associate professor. The full professorship was never the ultimate destination at the time. Which was fine by me because, as I said, being a full professor was never my holy grail in the first place. I liked to do my research, and particularly the teaching part. Since I started working at ITC I had discovered how much I love teaching, maybe even more so than research. And then we got to the point where I could be promoted to associate professor-1. That's where things got confusing. Whereas according to the rules of the University of Twente getting doctoral entitlement was part of the process of gaining the associate professor-1 status, such was not the case at ITC. So when three years later it was time to take my next step towards being a full professor, this turned out to be a problem. I was asked to take that step all over again. All in all, I think it took me three to four additional years. To me these were educational rather than wasted years, as I was able to continue my research and teaching activities while at the same time further defining my focus. I used to call myself a professor on probation in those days. The only real hiccup arose when two years ago I was to become head of the Earth Systems department. My not yet being a full professor led to some controversy then. Apart from that, not being a full professor never felt like an impediment in any way.'

'My official appointment as full professor was effectuated retroactively as per 1 March, 2020. It would be an exaggeration to say that my life has been totally different since then. When I first read my congratulations letter I was at home, as Covid was already upon us. To be honest, it didn't really mean a lot to me. As associate professor-1 in the tenure track I was already used to playing a part in the Academic Board, visiting UT Senate meetings and having doctoral entitlement. The main difference is that I am on more people's radars now, and more in demand for certain positions at external organisations. But I 've decided not to rush into things. For now, I take a lot of satisfaction in simply maintaining my academic profile by teaching and doing research."

'When I entered the tenure track, ITC was strongly divided. There was a group of older professors who opposed the tenure track as a way to achieve professorship. On the other hand there were friendly colleagues who took a totally different view and helped me to get along. Today, that division is hardly noticeable anymore. Tenure track professors have largely been given the same rights and privileges as full professors and half of the department heads is below the age of 50. I consider this a positive development, as it provides new dynamics and insights. While capacity building is still a fundamental ITC principle after all those years, we also need to explore new concepts and keep moving forward. It's the only way to remain relevant. Mind you, I apply this to myself as well. I certainly hope not to still be head of this department when I'm 65.'