Wieteke Willemen

'During my studies I spent a lot of time abroad, in Spain, Tunisia, Vietnam, Ecuador and the United States. After graduation I got the opportunity to apply for a job at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They had a programme for dispatching talented graduates to international organizations. Through that programme I ended up in Colombia, to work on agrobiodiversity assessments using GIS. It was a position for three years. I enjoyed working there, but at one point I felt that I was still too junior to do what was asked of me. That's why I decided to go back to Wageningen, where as a PhD student I started delving deeper into spatial modelling. My primary goal at the time was to learn to be a really good independent scientist. I did not have an overpowering urge to change the world, as long as I learned HOW to change the world. That approach earned me a very pleasant PhD phase; it gave me the peace of mind to settle for 'good enough' every now and then.'

'In my field of research, there is a very thin line between science and policy. The question of how the two relate to each other has always fascinated me. After my PhD, I had a strong need to focus more on policy support; to see how I could translate my science into policy. With that ambition, I successfully applied for a job at the Joint Research Centre in Italy, which is a policy advisory body of the European Commission. That position involved a lot of travelling as well. But after a while I felt the need return to the content. That's how I wound up in the United States, to start a second postdoc at Cornell University. There I started looking into the way people work together locally where nature and agriculture ­meet – and how maps can support decision making in that area.'

'When I had worked and lived abroad for seven years, I felt the need to go back to Europe, specifically the Netherlands. I knew that ITC is really the only institute in the Netherlands where you can work on global development and spatial studies at the highest level. That's why I applied for a tenure track at ITC in 2014. I was then faced with the appointment advisory committee – a group of professors that I was required to present my research vision to. That vision had already taken pretty good shape in my mind, so I outlined it and the committee approved. The tenure track consists of several steps and every two to three years there is an evaluation for that same committee of professors. The tenure track system worked very well for me because the steps and expectations are clear. It's a matter of constant juggling with education, research, projects and committee work, but it is very clear when you're supposed to show which results.'

'My particular tenure track was offered as part of UTWIST, a programme that the University of Twente launched in 2011 to hire talented women. The programme worked with a carte blanche; there were no requirements in terms of fields or specializations. All it took to qualify was to be a demonstrably good female scientist with good ideas. After several positive evaluations during my tenure track, it was brought to my attention that the UT also wanted to immediately appoint female professors, without the necessity of finishing a tenure track. These were the so-called Hypatia chairs, introduced to increase the number of female talent in academic top positions, and one of these chairs was offered by ITC. It was an external vacancy and I was asked to think about it. That's how I discovered that you can also apply directly for a professor position while still in a tenure track.'

'After some consideration, I decided to apply for the Hypatia chair. It felt pretty strange to apply for a job with people who have been your colleagues for years. Of course, I tried to be as prepared as possible, as I would have at any university. But at one point, it turned out that the Hypatia chair was not at all intended for internal candidates like me. The programme was originally launched to attract talented women from outside the UT. But as I had gone through the entire official assessment procedure, luckily I was still granted the appointment.'

'I received my written confirmation in June 2020 and my appointment had retroactive effect from 1 March. The timing was crazy, because in June we were in the middle of the COVID crisis. There I was, sitting at my desk at home reading a letter that stated I was a professor. I found it hard to define my new position without the opportunity to really spar with colleagues. It was a process that took some time to take shape. I suppose it's all less complicated when you're an external candidate. Then you have a fresh start at your new position, without being affected by the fact that people already know you in other roles.'

'Being a professor has been one of my ambitions for a long time. As a matter of fact, it's why I started the tenure track in the first place. In my case, the process went slightly differently, and that was perhaps a bit of an anti-climax. Being in the tenure track can feel like running a marathon, and when one finally crosses the finish line, there is a sense of triumph. That is a feeling I never experienced. After my application for the Hypatia chair, I was primarily concerned about procedure. When I was finally there, the euphoria was less powerful. That being said, it's fantastic to be a full professor now. Not because I'm on top of the mountain, but mainly because of the recognition; the notion that people think I'm a worthy of being a professor. That gives me a kind of energy that will keep me going for a while. And now that I'm a professor, I really want to become a good professor. I want to prove myself, not only in terms of content but also in other areas. For example, I love showing my students, both from the Netherlands and all those other countries where ITC students come from, that a professor is not necessarily an older man with a beard and a tweed jacket. I take great pleasure in helping to refute such clichés.'