Best Professor Award received by Kees Vuik
On Monday 5 September, Kees Vuik, Professor Numerical Analysis at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EEMCS) received the Best Professor Award 2022. The festive ceremony preceded the Opening of the Academic Year 2022-2023. Delft University Fund awards the prestigious Professor of Excellence Award since 1994.
Best of TU Delft
A Professor of Excellence is someone who excels in both research and education, and who knows how to inspire and motivate the next generation of Delft engineers. Recipients of the award are reckoned among the top of TU Delft. Professor Vuik was nominated by Professor Lucas van Vliet, Dean of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EEMCS), by study association W.I.S.V. Christiaan Huygens, and by (former) PhD students and students with whom he collaborates intensively. During the ceremony, Prof. Jenny Dankelman, member of the Professor of Excellence Award selection committee, said that Kees Vuik has been an inspiring and enthusiastic teacher for BSc, MSc and PhD students, as well as for postdocs and academic and fellow scientists.
All colleagues and students describe Kees Vuik as a highly valued, driven, committed and competent professor. Despite his modest character, which is also often mentioned, he is very visible within the TU community and far beyond. A few quotes that substantiate this: "Prof. Vuik makes school with his specific focus on interaction with businesses and application of mathematics. The students and PhD students trained under his leadership bring the application DNA into practice." Another cites his dedication to students and teaching:"The time he takes for personal guidance and his boundless knowledge make him an inspiring role model, for every student." A student indicates that Kees is the ideal mentor. "He had a gift for explaining complex mathematical concepts in a concise and structured way so that they became accessible. He helped me build confidence and become independent." His clear explanation comes up several times. One of the main reasons Kees has many successful students. There are already at least 6 full professors among his alumni, and that says a lot about quality.
Jenny Dankelman
Kees Vuik
Kees, as director of the TU Delft Institute of Computational Science and Engineering (DCSE), has worked tirelessly for the Delft High Performance Computing (DHPC) facility in recent years. Recently, the commissioning of the Delft Blue supercomputer provided a resounding final chord to the long process of acquisition. The commissioning is a prelude to a new period in which the boundaries of numerical modeling and simulation will be pushed further. This strengthens the national pioneering role that TU Delft already had in the field of High Performance Computing and Computational Mathematics. It also means more visibility and impact on the international scene. The fact that the High Performance Computing has come about in Delft is largely due to the vision, leadership and efforts of Prof. Vuik.
Kees Vuik has an extremely strong publication list and his work is widely cited. He has supervised nearly 200 MSc/BSc students and over 40 PhD students.
