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Steven Vos (1976), Professor of Design & Analysis of Intelligent Systems for Vitality & Leisure Time Sports. He will deliver his inaugural address on the Friday preceding the Eindhoven Marathon, on his 40th birthday: October 7, 2016.
s.vos@tue.nl
TEXT NORBINE SCHALIJ PHOTO BART VAN OVERBEEKE
Thread
‘After a study of social psychology at the KU Leuven I got to work at a spin-off of that university, a research agency where I worked together with economists and sociologists. I came into contact with beta research as an R&D manager at a private expertise center and then I started my PhD in human movement science at my alma mater. After postdoc work there I went to work in the Netherlands at Fontys Sporthogeschool (FSH). As a lecturer I am responsible there for the ‘Move to be’ research group. Via cooperation with TU/e I came to where I am now; part-time Professor recreational sports and vitality. How can we use clever solutions to enable people to sport and move throughout their lives? In the search for an answer to this question, all my domains are combined.’
Marathon
Target group Crossfertilization ‘I am my own target group. I’m someone who loves to go in for sports, but is having trouble combining it with a job to which I am fully committed and with my family - my wife and two sons of 6 and 2 years old, for whom I really want to be home. I like running and cycling, but at present I am suffering from injuries. Now I am sporting indoors on a racing bicycle on a roller tester.’
‘During studies into the profile of participants in running events in 2013 I got in touch with Aarnout Brombacher, dean at Industrial Design (ID). In running research we found a joint passion. Our cooperation intensified: TU/e wanted to do something connected with sport and we were doing something in that area. In 2014 we started a joint statutory doctorate period whereby an employee of FSH became a PhD candidate at ID. Brombacher and I are his supervisors. And now I have my own chair.’
‘At TU/e I have a room in Laplace; I’m there every Monday. On other days I come to the campus also, though. My activities at FSH and TU/e are strongly interwoven. One of the tasks connected to my chair is to establish connections with various departments. I already have contacts with Data Science, Industrial Engineering & Innova tion Sciences and the urban designers and planners at Archi tecture, Building and Planning. I’m also involved in the strategic alliance with Utrecht University.’
Belgian
‘I occasionally feel like an interpreter between Belgian and Dutch people. During consultations with both nationalities I say to the Dutch that they should not worry if they do not hear anything immediately. And I tell the Belgians not to be frightened by the Dutch directness. At meetings in Belgium real decisions are often made during drinks afterwards. That is really different in the Netherlands, where discussion partners want to operate in the most open manner. It’s another way of working. However, I cannot get used to the eating culture of the Dutch.’
On page 51 backward / with Jos Lichtenberg