Kernteam Environmental Sciences. Jacob de Boer

Transcriptie

1 Kernteam Environmental Sciences Jacob de Boer

2 Onderwijs Economie Chemie/Toxicologie Beleid Ruimtegebruik Studenten

3 Agenda 1. Status verkenningscommissies, betrokkenheid studenten, promovendi, medewerkers 2. Onderwijsplannen 3. Samenwerking met bedrijven: lijst onderzoekstopics, lijst bedrijven 4. Onderzoekspeerpunten 5. Communicatieplannen 6. Hoe kan de faculteit de samenwerking faciliteren 7. Tijdpad kernteam 3

4 1. Verkennende groepen Voorbereidende sub-groepen: Onderwijs, Milieueconomie, Milieubeleid, Chemie en Toxicologie, Ruimtegebruik/Water Meeting gepland met PhD Council 4

5 Geplande meetings Met PhD studenten Kernteam 2 nd meeting met Han Dolman, uitwisseling tussen EE and IVM Sub-groep meetings, interactie medewerkers Vervolg meetings kernteam om eindrapport in elkaar te steken

6 2. Onderwijs Water Science 2-jr ERM Further development Chemistry and Toxicology Trend naar meer PhDs Profileringsgelden??

7 3. Samenwerking bedrijven Vanouds veel contacten met bedrijfsleven CEFIC, CONCAWE, Eurochlor, BSEF, e.a. Bruker, Agilent, Waters Nieuw: Marie Curie met bedrijven

8 4. Onderzoek Samenwerking UvA-VU in Governance thema (EPA) Amsterdam Laboratory on Earth System Governance (EPA) Water Science/IBED/AW /Hydrologie (C&B, W&C) Hoogleraar/UHD Energie economie (EE) Samenwerking Human Health (Groep vd Bor) (C&B) Samenwerking Ecologie (C&B, EE)

9 7. Tijdpad en Hindernissen. Reorganisatie uitstel tot Splitsing SPACE department Vakantietijd, symposia Achterstand jaargesprekken door reorganisatie Teveel processen tegelijkertijd

10 Faculteit der Natuurwetenschappen, Wiskunde en Informatica Faculteit der Aard- en Levenswetenschappen Faculteit der Exacte Wetenschappen Bijeenkomst Kernteam Environmental Sciences Datum: woensdag 10 september 2014 Tijd: uur uur Aanwezig: Kernteamleden: Jeroen Aerts, Pieter van de Beukering, Frank Biermann, Jacob de Boer, Pim Leonards, Philipp Pattberg, Ad van Dommelen Staf uit de faculteiten: Mariska Enneking, Gert Grift, Michel Haring, Nellie Harms, Hubertus Irth, Karen Maex, Coralie Pluut, Peter van Tienderen Verslag Vragen over de documentatie Over de positie van Environmental Economy geeft de decaan mee dat er eerst gekeken moet worden of we dat niet al in huis hebben. Onderwijs Het kernteam presenteert de onderwijsplannen. In grote lijnen: - Opzetten Amsterdam Graduate School op het gebied van environmental sciences. - Doorontwikkelen éénjarige master Environmental Resource Management. - Opzetten tweejarig onderzoeksmasterprogramma op het gebied van Sustainability Sciences. - Samenwerking UvA/VU inzake mastertrack environmental science zoeken. - Nieuw bachelorprogramma opzetten en/of samenwerking Future Planet Studies en AUC versterken. Het onderwijsportfolio heeft een grote overlap met die van het virtuele departement Earth & Ecology. Daarom vraagt Karen aan het kernteam om aan te sluiten bij het kernteam Earth & Ecology. De tweede verkenningscommissie zal daarnaast bestaan uit vertegenwoordigers van TDO, Interdisciplinary Unit, Athena èn studenten. Het plan van deze commissie beschrijft de visie op onderwijs en stelt een onderwijsportfolio tot 2020 voor. In het brede onderwijsportfolio worden de klemtonen voor de opleidingen beschreven. Met andere woorden, de opleidingen worden ten opzichte van elkaar gepositioneerd. Het plan beslaat bestaande opleidingen en niet nieuwe opleidingen. Op 22 september maakt het TDO procesafspraken met de facultaire studentenraad. Studentbetrokkenheid Het is belangrijk om in een vroeg stadium en bij zoveel mogelijk onderwijsgerelateerde zaken studenten te laten meepraten. Karen laat weten dat studentbetrokkenheid onmisbaar is in de samenwerking. Binnenkort worden met de facultaire studentenraad procesafspraken gemaakt. Het TDO zal daarna de kernteams hierover informeren. Onderzoek Op basis van de presentatie wordt het kernteam verzocht om in hun strategisch plan een benchmark op te nemen. Hoe en met wie vergelijkt het virtuele departement zich? Ook wordt gevraagd om focus aan te brengen in het onderzoek. Op welke thema s profileert het virtuele departement zich? Het thema water is sowieso één van de thema s. Prioritering Gezien de grote hoeveelheid wordt een prioritering aangebracht in het aantal acties. Het onderwijsportfo- Page 1 of 2

11 Faculteit der Natuurwetenschappen, Wiskunde en Informatica Faculteit der Aard- en Levenswetenschappen Faculteit der Exacte Wetenschappen lio heeft prioriteit en voor onderzoek concentreert het kernteam zich op het thema water. Wat onderwijs betreft is het nodig om voor de zomer van 2015 iets op de website te kunnen vermelden. Communicatie De afdelingen Communicatie gaan meer informatie in de organisatie brengen (via beeldschermen, website en bestaande nieuwsbrieven). Hiervoor willen ze graag eén contactpersoon per kernteam met wie ze informatie kunnen uitwisselen. Als contactpersoon van het virtuele departement zal Jacob de Boer ook contactpersoon voor de communicatie zijn. Afspraken 1. De tweede verkenningscommissie Onderwijs bestaat uit vertegenwoordigers van het kernteam Earth & Ecology, kernteam Environmental Sciences, TDO, Interdisciplinary Unit, Athena èn studenten. Het TDO doet in overleg met betrokkenen een voorstel aan de decaan voor samenstelling van deze commissie. Actiehouder: TDO Tijdpad: uiterlijk 29 september Na goedkeuring van de samenstelling door de decaan, start deze commissie eind september en komt eind november met een plan waarin de visie op onderwijs en een voorstel voor onderwijsportfolio tot 2020 zijn opgenomen. Actiehouder: tweede verkenningscommissie EEE Tijdpad: gereed 30 november Besluitvorming over onderwijsportfolio ten behoeve van publicatie op het web. Actiehouder: decaan Tijdpad: gereed december Jacob de Boer is contactpersoon voor communicatie. Actiehouder: Jacob de Boer en Coralie Pluut/Valeria Huisman Tijdpad: per direct Vervolg Er wordt een vervolgbijeenkomst gepland (deels gezamenlijk met Earth & Ecology) voor eind november/begin december. Page 2 of 2

12 Faculteit der Natuurwetenschappen, Wiskunde en Informatica Faculteit der Aard- en Levenswetenschappen Faculteit der Exacte Wetenschappen Bijeenkomst Kernteam Environmental Sciences Datum: donderdag 27 november 2014 Tijd: uur uur Aanwezig Kernteamleden: Jacob de Boer, Frank Biermann, Philipp Pattberg, Dave Huitema, Pieter vd Beukering, Philip Ward, Juliette Legler, Heather Leslie, Pim Leonards, Ad van Dommelen, Oscar Widerberg, Samantha Scholte Staf uit de faculteiten: Hanneke van Doorn, Gert Grift, Hubertus Irth, Karen Maex, Peter van Tienderen Verslag Vooraf Op 28 november zal het FB naar verwachting een voorgenomen besluit nemen het nieuwe domein Ecology, Earth, Environment (EEE) in te richten. Mede in het licht van deze plannen lijkt het voor de hand te liggen dat het kernteam Environmental Sciences zal worden samengevoegd met het kernteam E&E. Er komt een voorstel voor de samenstelling en de opdracht van het nieuwe kernteam EEE. 1. Uitkomst van de 2 e verkenningscommissie Volgende week zal de uitkomst van de verkenningscommissie onder voorzitterschap van Willem Bouten gereed zijn en aan KM worden toegezonden. In de commissie was er actieve betrokkenheid van studenten. Op 9 december zal er een gezamenlijke bijeenkomst zijn voor studenten en staf om ideeën uit te wisselen. FB vraagt aandacht van het FB FALW/FEW voor Master Water in het rapport van de commissie, in het voorstel van de commissie is dit een track. De commissie is onzeker in hoeverre dit botst met reorganisatieplannen. Dit is ook een aandachtspunt is alle communicatie over deze nieuwe opleiding/track. PvT vraagt Willem Bouten om decaan en vice-decanen zondagmiddag vast een concept versie van het rapport te sturen i.v.m. de bijeenkomst met studenten over de reorganisatie FALW Actie 3 (Besluitvorming over onderwijsportfolio) en actie 4 (communicatie) lopen goed. Op basis van 2 e verkenningscommissie zullen besluiten door DT/FB worden genomen over de opleidingen die worden uitgewerkt in de 3 e verkenningscommissie, het initiatief voor de 3 e verkenningscommissies ligt bij TDO. Voor biologie is er ivm de onderwijsvisitatie een strakke tijdsplanning nodig, voor overige opleidingen is meer flexibiliteit. 2.Stand van zaken activiteiten kernteam JdB licht met een presentatie de activiteiten van het kernteam Environmental Sciences toe. Er is per IVM sectie gesproken over: Missie en thema s, toekomstige organisatie. Uit de recente onderzoeksvisitatie blijkt dat de kwaliteit van het onderzoek excellent is. Belangrijke externe partners zijn: - Deltares IVM werkt samen met Deltares via bijzonder hoogleraar Vethaak. Er zijn mogelijkheden om de samenwerking verder uit te bouwen. Page 1 of 2

13 Faculteit der Natuurwetenschappen, Wiskunde en Informatica Faculteit der Aard- en Levenswetenschappen Faculteit der Exacte Wetenschappen - Instituut UNESCO IHE: dit instituut zou volgens Peter van Tienderen mogelijk een verhuizing naar Amsterdam overwegen. IVM is bezig de onderwijs activiteiten verder te ontwikkelen. De opleiding Environmental Chemistry en Toxicologie is een aandachtspunt, er is potentie maar de opleiding komt niet goed van de grond door een gebrek aan ondersteuning voor Juliette Legler. Bovendien is het label Ecologie niet dekkend voor de inhoud die voornamelijk chemie en toxicologie is. Dat houdt studenten af. Pim de Voogt (FNWI) is alleen zijdelings betrokken. 3. Acties voor komende maanden 28 november FB FALW/FEW voorgenomen besluit inrichting Ecology, Earth, Environment (EEE) aan VU zijde Dinsdag 2 december is een bijeenkomst gepland om alle hoogleraren van bij EEE betrokken afdelingen te informeren. Er komt een voorstel voor de samenstelling en de opdracht van het nieuwe kernteam EEE (actiehouder : GG). Page 2 of 2

14 Kernteam Environmental Sciences (IVM) Stand van zaken per 1 juli 2014 The core team Environmental Sciences has been set up formally in June 2014 with the goal of charting a new strategy for the coming 3-10 years in this domain. Also in light of the parallel external review process, which ended only on 13 June, the team was able to meet only once. The composition of the team is as follows: Prof. Dr. Jacob de Boer Prof. Dr. Juliette Legler Dr. Pim Leonards Dr. Heather Leslie Prof. Dr. Frank Biermann Dr. Ph. Pattberg Prof. Dr. Dave Huitema Prof. Dr. Roy Brouwer Dr. Pieter van Beukering Prof. Dr. Jeroen Aerts Dr. Ph. Ward Dr. Ad van Dommelen Chair, director IVM and representing the section Chemistry and Biology Representing Chemistry and Biology; and special task for teaching Representing Chemistry and Biology Representing Chemistry and Biology and the young scientist group Director ERM and representing section Environmental Policy Analysis, special task for teaching Representing Environmental Policy Analysis Representing Environmental Policy Analysis Representing Environmental Economics Representing Environmental Economics Representing Spatial Analysis and Decision-Support Representing Spatial Analysis and Decision-Support Representing the Netherlands Research School for Socio-economic and Natural Sciences of the Environment All members were able to join the discussions at the first meeting except for one member who was travelling (Huitema). The group could benefit from the oral comments by the review committee of the international research assessment of IVM that took place between 9 and 13 June. Meanwhile the institute management received the preliminary reports, which were broadly excellent for all four sections and the institute as such, with several combinations of grades 4 and 5. The discussions on 16 June could draw on strategy presentations by the four sections, followed by an intense brainstorm on the new strategy. This paper summarizes the first ideas and visions generated by the Environmental Sciences core team. (Jeroen Aerts had meanwhile attended a meeting of the EE core team and reported on the progress made during that meeting.) Summary of presentations with expected future developments, opportunities, collaborations and needs. C&B Future developments - Resource efficiency/circular economy Waste& recycling, screening alternatives for flame retardants

15 Benign by design, sustainable chemistry Biobased economy - Environment and health Indoor exposure, contaminants and human health Exposome (total exposure of humans to contaminants) Critical life stages, food safety Blue/green cities, urban farming Opportunities - Marie Curie networks - Vici grant solicited for by prof. Legler - Remediation of soil and other environmental research in China (through appointment of prof. De Boer in China s 1000-Talent Plan) - AUC teaching - 3D printing Collaborations - Doctors, epidemiologists, pharmacologists - Group of Margot van de Bor Needs - Instrumentation and maintenance; this is essential to stay at the forefront of this type of research. SPACE Future developments - Use of land and water Draughts Insurance, flooding (& urbanization) Multi-risk (cascading) Opportunities - Vici Jeroen Aerts and ERC Peter Verburg - AUC teaching and teaching in Hydrology and Earth and Economy Collaborations - Internal: EE (Botzen, Hofkes), C&B (water quality), EPA (adaptive governance, Huitema) - World Bank - IBED - Earth Sciences Needs - Big computers for big data (SARA, E-science centre NWO)

16 - Social media EE Future developments - Scientific advice Green economy, circular economy Airports, cities Opportunities - Textbooks, summer schools - Teaching (Green entrepreneurship) - Corporate governance - Teaching in Earth and Economy FALW Collaborations - PBL - GIS (SPACE Verburg) - C&B and EPA (e.g. litter, plastics) - FEWEB Needs - New professor Economy of Energy EPA Future developments - EPA shares a long-term vision that tries to chart governance solutions for the world of 2050, with possible focal areas being cities, waste, food, and water.) - The group follows a holistic approach that builds on the earth system governance paradigm that the group has pioneered and that has been applauded by the international research assessment panel on 9-13 June. Opportunities - Contribution to, the current discussions of a new VU core domain around the theme Governance, spearheaded by Prof. Winter. - Globally leading proponent of transdisciplinary research, largely from a social science and governance angle, but closely engaged with natural science groups. - Focused on problem-based learning in its educational activities. - ERM Collaborations - The links to the FSW are strong, and vital as a disciplinary mother ship for the group. Among others, Prof. Biermann and Dr Pattberg hold permanent part-time positions at FSW.

17 - The group seeks to extend its network in closer cooperation with the UvA, particularly the group led by former IVM er Prof. Gupta, who is now professor of Environment and Development in the Global South. Needs - The group has a number of personnel needs that require urgent attention, the resolution of which is vital for the group s survival: o Dr. Pattberg has completed all requirements within a career track agreement for full professorship. o Dr. Kalfagianni needs to be receive a permanent contract within one year. o Dr. Huitema, who hold a part-time professorial appointment the Open University, seeks a full professorship at the VU as well. o The retirement of Prof. Boersema creates a opening for a new part-time appointment in the area of Religion and the Environment, which needs to be filled in consultation with the Theology Faculty. In addition to these presentations Prof. Legler gave her view, based on a presentation supported by Prof. Biermann, on the teaching developments and needs in the coming years. The core group shared a strong vision to urgently develop a 2-yr Research MSc in Sustainable Sciences that would completed the highly acclaimed, more practically oriented 1-yr MSc Environment and Resource Management. Problembased learning should be integral part of all teaching programmes. In addition, the group felt that IVM could contribute significantly to the BSc Future Planet Studies of UvA, which is currently not entirely taught within the Amsterdam Beta Cluster. Further options are a BSc/MSc Environmental Health as well as Environmental Forensics, along with more specific minors. In the following part, we outline first stepping stones for a 3 and 10-year strategic plan for Environmental Sciences, which will be further developed after the summer break. One of the first meetings will include a brainstorm with the PhD students as the IVM management considers their contribution as crucial in further strategic planning for IVM. Objectives and research area The IVM is, in the words of the 2014 international research assessment, a world-class leaders in the domain of Sustainability Sciences. The core group agrees that the vision of IVM should be to continue doing excellent science that is problem-oriented and is useful to a wide audience in science, government, industry and civil society. The preliminary outcomes of the 2014 international research assessment clearly show that the four research groups at IVM form the right basis to continue the ambitious strategy of maintaining a world-class status. All four sections received the maximum score (5) for quality of research, defined as world research leadership. One longstanding characteristic of IVM is its transdisciplinary approach that addresses complex environmental and sustainability problems through a successful combination of high-quality disciplinary expertise. A second unique feature of IVM s research is our capacity to conduct environmental studies in

18 their societal and economic context. In sum, the core group agreed that IVM should further reinforce its position as a major European and global centre for environmental research, measured in terms of scientific and societal impact. IVM wants to continue work with strong partners (collaborators, funders, intermediaries) in networked research projects, to strengthen a research culture that stimulates interchange between researchers and stakeholders from diverse backgrounds. IVM seeks to build excellence in environmental sciences by training independent and entrepreneurial researchers with a passion for combining scientific excellence with societal engagement. Current structure IVM is since 2001 fully integrated into the Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences at the VU University Amsterdam. Through joint professorial appointments, however, the institute also maintains strong academic links with other VU faculties, in particular the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration and the Faculty Social Sciences, as well as with other universities. An international IVM Advisory Board advises the institute management on strategic issues. Research is organized at the institute within sections, traditionally known as departments. These departments provide the organizational home for researchers. Active research networks extend beyond the boundaries of the institute to partners and stakeholders elsewhere in the Netherlands and internationally. The director s role is to encourage a stimulating intellectual climate in the institute, to lead the management team, to represent the institute to the faculty board and to act as an ambassador for the institute nationally and internationally. Research is mostly carried out within projects (usually externally-financed and with durations ranging from 1 month up to 5 years. Teamwork, collaboration, multidisciplinarity and problem-orientation leading to interactive research design are all key aspects of research practice at IVM. At present, IVM runs a one-year MSc program - Environment and Resource Management, launched in 2003) which attracts students, over half of them from outside The Netherlands. This programme was very positively evaluated in IVM is a member of the European UNIGIS network, which offers postgraduate certificate, diploma and masters courses through open and distance learning in Geographical Information Systems (GIS). The institute also teaches on a number of bachelors courses: Earth and Economics; Introduction to Environmental Sciences I and II; Biomedical Sciences, Health and Life; seven courses at the Amsterdam University Academy covering all fields of IVM, as well as a specialization Global Environmental Governance in the MSc Political Science at the Faculty of Social Sciences. There is a continuous flow of visiting scientists and students from across the world. Future developments During the coming years, environmental issues will rather grow than shrink, although focus fields may change. Attention to human health may grow, and new fields such as future cities and waste recycling are expected to emerge (2012 UNEP Foresight Initiative). With its extensive knowledge of diverse environmental disciplines, and flexibility to adapt to new developments, IVM is confident to continue playing a major role in international environmental research.

19 The next three years: During the three years to come, IVM needs to recover from the reorganization of FALW and the damage from erratic financial advice and poor support. Based on the excellent scientific assessment outcome, IVM will refocus on excellent scientific research, extend its teaching activities and further increase the number of PhD students. In collaboration with the departments Ecology and Earth Sciences, IVM will engage in further giving shape to the entire field of sustainability science in the Amsterdam university environment. IVM will also expect to join any new organizations in this field, including possible graduate schools such as a School of Environmental Sciences, Ecology and Earth Sciences, with teaching as one of the main uniting bonds. According to the plans of the VU CvB, teaching will be placed more apart from the research, but at the same time more IVM staff members should be invited to teach in the various BSc and MSc courses already present or to be developed. To improve the quality of the teaching, even more IVM staff members will follow the BKO and SKO courses, bringing the BKO completion rate for core faculty members to close 100%. The growth in teaching and PhD students will lead to a better balanced financial model of the institute. Furthermore, to maintain the current strength of IVM in the acquisition of external funds, and with that creating a higher research output, which at its turn will attract more students, the faculty model should also be adapted to reward at least to some extent the success of acquisition. A higher financial matching supplement to the generally large subsidies that IVM acquires is one very relevant example. This was also recommended by the international research assessment. Without such matching, the core faculty member would slowly need to minimize their acquisition activities, which often do not result in sufficient gains in relation to the administration effort and financial loss a trend that is already now clearly identifiable in some research lines. The other type of central support that is needed is keeping IVM s laboratory up to date. Whereas larger instruments may be obtained through NWO or specific projects, to stay at the forefront of chemical and toxicological research it will be essential to get support from the faculty for the smaller instruments, zebra fish facilities and their maintenance. At the same time, IVM will continue to consolidate its faculty and strive for fewer permanent staff members while increasing the number of postdocs and other temporary staff members. In addition to these managerial changes, the internal visioning process in the second half of 2014, based on previous exercises and the international research assessment, will be made with developing a new scientific focus, according to the current discussion in the core team and in collaboration with the two other E departments. The period During the coming years societal changes will occur more rapidly than until now. Environmental pressure will no doubt increase as these are related to the growth of the world population and the expansion of unsustainable consumption and production patters. The global society will ask increasingly for more scientific advice on complex sustainability challenges such as climate change, food scarcity, energy and waste problems, chemical contamination, etc. Apart from environmental issues, changes will, however, also take place in the society itself. Social media will claim a much more dominant role. Big data can be handled by computers, which will enable a better prediction and deeper insight in all sorts of processes. There are trends towards a 24h economy with people filling in their jobs in a way

20 that is entirely different from the structures we see nowadays. Transport will change and energy supply may become a personal matter. All these changes require a flexible attitude: within ten years from now the world will look rather different from today and environmental research will play an even more important role. The contents of environmental science and the skills needed will, however, be different and the current challenge is to adapt to those changes and to maintain a high degree of flexibility as changes may be ongoing all the time. Life-long learning, web-based teaching and problem-based learning are therefore areas to be explored in teaching. Starting from the current expertise, research needs to adapt to the future themes and be flexible enough to adapt continuously. The step from interdisciplinary to trans-disciplinary research needs will now be made. IVM will now start to work on a road map and vision, as was also recommended by the scientific assessment committee. The integrated socio-environmental approach that is the hallmark of the current IVM will serve as a basis in this approach. The four current sections of IVM will continue to develop their disciplinary research skills, which serves as a basis of their excellence. One of the four groups, SPACE, has grown substantially and diversified its research focus, so that now a division in two sections will be required, one focusing on land use and the other on water risks and insurances. The latter will be positioned with close links to research in hydrology and teaching in the BSc and MSc Earth and Economy. EPA will develop a close relationship with UvA (Prof. Gupta) in setting up an Amsterdam Centre on Earth System Governance Research. The group also contributes to developing the VU theme Governance. The replacement of prof. Boersema, a part-time chair shared with Theology, needs be filled. Theoretically, this is a parttime professorship. Given the small pool of potential candidates with an international research ambition, one option could be to transform this into an assistant professorship or visiting scholar position, increasing the international network of IVM. A visiting scholar in this domain could be a central figure for the VU as such. Food scarcity is another important theme that could be covered in this group. Dr. Pattberg is now at the end of its career track and ready to be appointed as professor in Transnational Environmental Governance. EE is in need of a chair in Energy economy. That position needs to be created to boost the research on circular economy. C&B cherishes its current collaboration with the group of Prof. Van de Bor on epidemiological and environmental health studies. Further discussions with this group are needed to design a roadmap for future collaboration. The zebra fish work of Prof. Legler needs to be maintained and may need further extension. Instrumentation for the analytical laboratory remains of primary importance. More Marie Curie projects will be acquired to attract top students from Europe. Dr. Leonards is almost at the end of his career track and ready to be appointed as professor in Analytical Environmental Chemistry.