Martin van den Brink: ‘What makes a good technologist valuable?’

Martin van den Brink spent forty years at ASML, around thirty of them with ultimate responsibility for the company’s technology. He played a key role in developing the technology that helped the Dutch company become the global leader in chipmaking machines. His way of thinking was shaped in part at the University of Twente. Not by specialising more and more, but by learning to see the bigger picture.

On 31 August, Van den Brink will receive a Van den Kroonenberg Oeuvre Award during the Opening of the Academic Year. With these awards, the University of Twente Fund honours four alumni who played a defining role in the development of internationally leading technology companies.

From district heating to chipmaking machines

Van den Brink came to Twente in 1980 to study Applied Physics. The campus immediately made an impression on him. ‘I thought it was a beautiful university surrounded by greenery. From my room on Witbreuksweg, I could look out at the cows.’ He was also active outside his studies, playing basketball at Arriba, the club that is still based on campus today.

Within Applied Physics, he specialised in physical measurement technology and graduated with a project on district heating. Hardly the most obvious background for someone who would later become responsible for ASML’s technology. Looking back, however, Van den Brink sees a clear connection.

‘I never deliberately tried to specialise in the details. Instead, I looked for connections at the system level.’ At ASML, that meant he constantly had to learn about new fields. ‘For example, I had never taken a course in optics. Then I joined ASML and suddenly everything was about optics, so I had to learn it along the way.’

Moving between detail and the bigger picture

That ability to connect different disciplines became a recurring theme throughout his career. ASML’s machines are among the most complex systems in the world, bringing together fields including optics, mechatronics, software and physics. According to Van den Brink, technology of this complexity requires people who know their own field inside out, while also understanding how it relates to other disciplines.

‘Society and technology have become so complex that you can no longer look at product and technology development at just one level. The better you are at connecting different things and the higher the level of abstraction at which you can think, the more valuable you become.’

At the same time, he warns against staying at that high level. ‘You must always remain grounded in your core competence and be able to go back into the details.’

Philosophy and psychology

Interestingly, Van den Brink also mentions two fields that, at first glance, have little to do with chipmaking machines. During his studies, he took philosophy and psychology as additional subjects. Their value became particularly apparent later in his career.

‘A few basic principles about how people work and respond have helped me a great deal. And in philosophy of science, I explored what science actually is and how it develops.’ That, too, fits with his argument that engineers should look beyond their own technical specialism.

His advice to today’s students does not involve a complicated formula for building a career. Start by discovering what you are good at and learn how to apply that strength in an environment where you can add value. But keep looking beyond your own field. ‘You need to understand as broadly as possible how your competence relates to those of others.’

Technical universities are essential

Van den Brink also sees an important role for universities of technology. For technology companies such as ASML, he believes strong technical universities are essential for finding and educating talent. ‘Having a prominent university of technology, or several in a region, is essential for attracting good people.’

Since graduating in 1984, Van den Brink has only occasionally returned to campus. On 31 August, he will be back once again. Together with three other UT alumni, he will take to the stage to receive one of the first Van den Kroonenberg Oeuvre Awards.

Not as an entrepreneur in the traditional sense, but as a technology leader who helped shape a company that has pushed the boundaries of what is technologically possible for decades.

About the Van den Kroonenberg Oeuvre Awards

To mark the University of Twente’s 65th anniversary, the Van den Kroonenberg Oeuvre Awards will be presented for the first time during the Opening of the Academic Year on 31 August. The awards, presented by the University of Twente Fund, honour four UT alumni who, as founders or driving forces, played a defining role in the development of internationally leading technology companies.

Alongside Martin van den Brink (ASML), the awards will go to Jitse Groen (Just Eat Takeaway.com), Sytse Sijbrandij (GitLab) and Geert-Jan Bruinsma (Booking.com).