The job where everything comes together

‘My studies went well and so I continued on to a doctorate, which also went very well, but I found it quite draining to keep doing research on your own all the time,’ says Mimi den Uijl. ‘What I enjoyed most were the conferences, the networking, setting up projects together with others, talking about my research, connecting people with one another. For me, research offered a means of becoming part of a community, exchanging ideas with others and discussing research together — that was what I enjoyed most.’ Despite the fact that, as a postdoc, she would remain part of that community where she felt so at home, she could see a serious pitfall looming. ‘I would still mostly be working on my research alone, and I knew that wouldn’t make me happy.’

Large-scale projects

Unlike many researchers, Den Uijl was actually drawn to the other tasks that come with being an academic member of staff, such as developing and delivering teaching, supervising students, and applying for grants. ‘That’s why I decided to simply step away and not immediately move on to a postdoc, but to take some time to think about what I actually wanted. I thought, “If I really miss the research, I can always go back to it.” But honestly, I knew straight away that I didn’t want to anymore.’

But what was the alternative? ‘I started thinking about the kind of role where the things I’m good at and enjoy would all come together. At first I thought about something along the lines of business development — helping to get large-scale projects off the ground and bringing people together. I’d posted something on LinkedIn explaining what I was looking for, and Chris Slootweg [Professor at the University of Amsterdam, Ed.] responded, asking whether I’d be interested in contributing to a new degree programme for which he was looking for a coordinator of 21st century skills.’

‘That’s why I decided to simply step away and take some time to think about what I actually wanted’

Laser cutting

And that is precisely the role she now fills at Science, Technology & Innovation, a new, interdisciplinary bachelor’s programme which, alongside theoretical knowledge from the science disciplines and training in core academic skills, also places considerable emphasis on hands-on technical skills such as laser cutting and 3D printing in the UvA Makerspace. ‘Our students really do build and make things. The focus on so-called transferable skills fits perfectly with the new vision for university education. A great deal of subject-specific knowledge fades quickly, and disciplinary knowledge has limited applicability beyond academia. What’s more, an ever-growing number of young people are going to university, whilst the vast majority will not go on to pursue academic careers. Transferable skills, on the other hand, remain useful outside academia as well.’

In this new role, Den Uijl finds that precisely those ‘academic’ tasks she so enjoyed during her doctoral years all come together. ‘I develop and design much of the teaching programme, I deliver a number of technical workshops myself, and I step in to support the tutoring.’ Connecting people, setting up projects, supervising students — it all falls into place.