UTAlumni NetworkNewsPeter-Paul Verbeek member of the Royal Netherlands Academy (KNAW)

Peter-Paul Verbeek member of the Royal Netherlands Academy (KNAW)

Peter-Paul Verbeek, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Twente, is elected as a new member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW). KNAW members are appointed for life, based on scientific excellence. The new members will formally be installed in September.

Becoming a member of KNAW, the society of over 500 excellent scientists in The Netherlands, is considered a great honour: new members will be elected based on recommendations from inside and outside KNAW. Peter-Paul Verbeek previously was a member and the chairman of The Young Academy of KNAW: a platform for young top scientists.

Prof Peter-Paul Verbeek is a Professor of Philosophy of Technology. His work is on the way technology has an impact on humanity and morality. Next to his scientific work, he is an advisor on technology and ethics within the World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology of UNESCO, he is a board member of the Dutch Rathenau Institute and member of the Advisory Board of TNO, the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Research. He wrote a number of popular books and presented his vision at large events like LowLands festival.

DesignLab

Peter-Paul Verbeek is one of the founders of DesignLab, part of the University of Twente campus. A vibrant platform where students, researchers, companies, governments and other organisations work on societal challenges together. Part of this lab is his own PhilosophyLab: philosophy, in this way, is made part of design thinking. The motto is: Science2Design4Society.

Thom Palstra, Rector Magnificus of the university, says Verbeek’s election is a great honour: “Peter-Paul Verbeek is one of the great thinkers in The Netherlands of our time, on the impact of technology on society. He clearly demonstrates that ‘high tech human touch’ is not about two separate things, but about integration of the both. He is a an excellent scientist as well as a top-level advisor. I am very proud of the fact we have him in our midst, and of this honorable election.”

KNAW members of UT 

Other KNAW members of the UT community: rector Thom Palstra, and the Professors Bram Nauta, Detlef Lohse, Andrea Prosperetti, Albert van den Berg, Suzanne Hulscher, Ad Lagendijk, as well as the emeriti Piet Bergveld, David Reinhoudt, Jacques Thomassen, Andries Hoogerwerf, Wim van Swaaij and Leen van Wijngaarden.

ir. W.R. van der Veen (Wiebe)
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