Wilco Hazeleger to be new Dean of the Faculty of Geosciences

As of 1 July 2019, the Executive Board of Utrecht University has appointed Prof. Wilco Hazeleger as the new Dean of the Faculty of Geosciences. Hazeleger is currently director of the Netherlands eScience Center (NLeSC) and holds an endowed chair in Climate Dynamics at Wageningen University. Hazeleger will be succeeding Piet Hoekstra, who retired 1 March.

Anton Pijpers, President of the Executive Board, is extremely pleased with Hazeleger's new appointment at Utrecht University. 'Our Faculty of Geosciences has a strong international reputation and plays a pivotal role within the strategic theme of Pathways to Sustainability. Not only does Wilco Hazeleger have an impeccable academic record, but with his extensive international network, knowledge of big data and administrative experience, he is eminently equipped to forge new connections. I am extremely gratified that he will be coming on board here in Utrecht.'

Wilco Hazeleger (1971) studied Meteorology at Wageningen University and the University of Reading, subsequently obtained a doctoral degree in Physical Oceanography at Utrecht University. He then worked for several years at Columbia University in New York, as well as at the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI). He has over 100 publications concerning climate research and related applications. He is also a member of various academic advisory committees. He is involved in open science developments in the Netherlands, as well as with international initiatives to make scientific information available for managing the risks to society formed by changes in the Earth system. Since 2014 he has been director of the Netherlands eScience Center, a national expertise centre promoting multidisciplinary and data-intensive scientific research.