HomeNewsEd Brinksma elected new President Hamburg University of Technology

Ed Brinksma elected new President Hamburg University of Technology

Ed Brinksma, Professor of Computer Science and former Rector of the University of Twente, has been elected as the new President of the Hamburg University of  Technology (TUHH), taking up office in the first quarter of 2018.

After having been Rector Magnificus of the University of Twente for eight years, Ed Brinksma (1957) transferred the rectorate to Prof Thom Palstra at the end of last year. Before his appointment as rector, Brinksma was the scientific director of the Embedded Systems Institute in Eindhoven and Professor at the Technical University Eindhoven. Between 2002 and 2005, he led the Computer Science department of the UT faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science. Earlier on, he was Dean of the Faculty of Computer Science. Brinksma was appointed Professor of Computer Science (Formal Methods and Tools) in 1991.

At this moment, a Professor of Computer Science again, Ed Brinksma works at the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey and the Singapore University of Technology and Design.

As rector, Ed Brinksma has played a decisive role in shaping the new approach to teaching at the University of Twente: the Twente Educational Model. During his mandate, also the University College ATLAS was founded, the first University College in The Netherlands combining social and engineering sciences. Another highlight was the opening of the UT DesignLab in 2014. Brinksma was also responsible for the introduction of a tenure track model for scientific staff. In the second term of his rectorate, Brinksma started a reorientation of UT research together with his colleagues in the Executive Board, Deans and Scientific Directors. By now, this has led to a new organization and a stronger focus.

On his election at the TUHH, Ed Brinksma says: “In its size, as well as its approach to teaching, and its entrepreneurial attitude, TUHH has a lot in common with the UT. The university and the City of Hamburg have expressed the ambition of expanding the TUHH into a leading university of technology of Northern Germany, and a hub in the innovation ecosystem of the Hamburg metropolis. Being able to contribute to this goal, with my years of Twente experience, is a great and honourable prospect. Of course, it is with a heavy heart that I say farewell to the University of Twente to which I owe so much, as I was here for  the major part of my academic career. I hope to stay in touch with Twente through the collaboration between our universities.”

Hamburg University of Technology is one of twelve universities in the European Consortium of Innovative Universities (ECIU), of which UT is one of the founding members. The Executive Board of the University of Twente is very pleased to hear that Ed Brinksma will strengthen TUHH’s Board and that he, through ECIU, remains active within the UT network. The Board thanks Brinksma for his valuable contributions to the development of the University of Twente and wishes him a lot of success as the new President of TUHH.

drs. B.G. Lankhaar (Bertyl)
Spokesperson EB (Currently acting director Kennispark Twente)
ir. W.R. van der Veen (Wiebe)
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