Professor Ted Young

Ted Young sees the Best Professor Award as an important initiative: “There are plenty of prizes for research, up to and including the Nobel Prize. But there's very little recognition for good teaching outside your own organisation. This prize shows that teaching isn't a minor issue at TU Delft.”

What is expected of a true best Professor? “The rules state that they ‘must prove their teaching expertise’. In this case, it means having given droves of young people the knowledge, instruments and skills they need to reach the top of their field.”

Young was humbled by his Best Professor Award: “You choose a path in life and try to make the best of it. Your primary motive is to be the best you can in your work, and if you are, you don’t really need a prize. But the Best Professor Award is a sign of recognition from the very people who stand to gain from your teaching. It means that I made the right choice. If you only want to do research, you don't need to work at a university.”