Former member of the NWO’s Executive Board and Dean of Leiden University’s Faculty of Humanities Wim van den Doel has been appointed the new leader of the LDE alliance. Professor Van den Doel’s ample experience in leading different research institutes, and managing interdisciplinary collaboration besides his vast professional network make him a perfect candidate for the position at hand.
In the upcoming four years Van den Doel will formulate a detailed programme based on the LDE’s new strategy revolving around its core principle of creating a more Healthy, Sustainable, Digital and Inclusive Society. To this end the collaboration between the three LDE universities—Leiden University, Technical University Delft and Erasmus University Rotterdam—will be increased both at organizational and teaching levels by creating more interdisciplinary programmes. However, Van den Doel also intends to intensify the cooperation between the academic institutions and governmental and business partners in order to formulate joint solutions to mayor social problems. The main goal is to further consolidate the position of LDE and the metropolitan region of South-Holland as a world leader in academic education, groundbreaking research and innovation.