Eindhoven Dean Emile Aarts Appointed as New Rector of Tilburg University
Press release, March 12th 2015
The Tilburg University Board of Governors has announced today that Emile Aarts, affiliated to Eindhoven University of Technology as Dean and Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science, is to become the new rector of Tilburg University. Aarts will succeed rector magnificus Philip Eijlander on June 1. Aarts has long-standing management experience both at Philips Research Laboratories and at Eindhoven University and is appreciated by students and colleagues alike for his innovative thinking in the field of management.
President of the Tilburg University Board of Governors Jan Hommen: ‘Emile Aarts has an excellent scientific profile and has shown to motivate and stimulate people in academic education and research with his innovative insights. Together with Koen Becking and the deans, we have a sound team that can guide our university in the next phase of its development.’
Aarts (1955, Roermond) studied physics in Nijmegen, graduated cum laude, and received a PhD in math and physics from Groningen University in 1983. In that year, he joined Philips Research Laboratories as a researcher and went on to become Chief Scientific Officer. In 1990, Aarts was appointed Professor of Computing Science at Eindhoven University of Technology.
Data Science and social innovation
Aarts has extensive experience in education as well as research and in 2012 became Dean of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science in Eindhoven. His research interests include Data Science, Social Innovation Technologies, and Open Innovation and he achieved international recognition for his many books and journal publications. He also set up various scientific institutes and collaborations.
He has been a member of the Royal Holland Society of Sciences and Humanities since 2014. He is also a former president of the NWO Division of Physical Sciences and is a board member of such European institutions as the Artemis European Technology Platform and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology ICT Labs Cluster.
Note to editors
For more information, please contact the spokesperson of Tilburg University, Tineke Bennema, at persvoorlichters@tilburguniversity.edu or 06 – 1967 8521.