HomeNewsProfessor Kees Aarts to University of Groningen

Professor Kees Aarts to University of Groningen Appointed Dean of Behavioural and Social Sciences

As of 1 August 2016, Professor Kees Aarts is appointed Professor of Political Institutions and Behaviour and Dean of the Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences at University of Groningen.

The Professor of Political Science was scientific director of the Institute for Innovation and Governance Studies (IGS) at University of Twente from 2010 until the beginning of 2016. In this role, Professor Aarts focused strongly on developing the Institute’s distinctive profile and international reputation. His efforts culminated in the establishment of the IGS Data Lab, which was a major factor leading to his recognition as a great luminary in the development of social sciences in the Dutch university landscape. IGS was successful last year in attracting Horizon 2020 funding for a range of research projects.

 

Kees Aarts has an impressive track record as a scientist. He is very well connected, with a large, diverse and international network, and he maintains close relationships with various parties in politics, social organizations and the media. In addition to his work as Professor of Political Science at University of Twente, Aarts is a member of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research’s permanent national committee for a large-scale scientific infrastructure. He has also been a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy for Arts and Sciences (KNAW) since 2011 where he also chairs the department of behavioural and social sciences, and, in 2015, he was appointed a member of the Royal Holland Society of Sciences (KHMW). 

 

Kees Aarts has spent his entire scientific career combining research activities with teaching political science and developing research methods and techniques for Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes at University of Twente. As a result, in 2004, he received the teacher of the year award in the Department of Public Administration.

This is what the Professor had to say about leaving UT: “For over thirty years I greatly enjoyed working at University of Twente and I have always highly valued this institution’s unique character. I will definitely miss all of my UT colleagues. I now have a great opportunity at University of Groningen to resume my work in a different setting and in a new post, and I am very grateful to be given this chance.”

Professor Brinksma, Rector Magnificus at University of Twente, had the following to say about Professor Aarts’ switch to University of Groningen: “In all the years he has worked at our university Kees Aarts contributed greatly to our university, as a scientist and as a director. He has played a major role in both education and research and in recent years especially as scientific director of the research institute IGS. We are very grateful to him, and we are sorry he is leaving us. We do understand the new challenge he has chosen and of course we wish him good luck. "


Contact: Bertyl Lankhaar, spokesperson for the Executive Board, tel: +31 (0)53 489 2210

drs. B.G. Lankhaar (Bertyl)
Spokesperson EB (Currently acting director Kennispark Twente)