- Campus , People
- 02/07/2025
Behind the Scenes | Thijs Mooren, TU/e site manager
From technicians to schedulers and from IT staff to cafeteria workers: it takes a lot of hands to keep TU/e running smoothly. Who are these people behind the scenes? In this series, Cursor shines the spotlight on TU/e employees. This time: Thijs Mooren, manager and advisor for the entire outdoor area of the campus.
Thijs Mooren is responsible for a vast 75-hectare area. There are trees, shrubs, and plants. There are paths, bridges, and roads. Trash cans, picnic tables, and traffic signs. And so much more—sewers, sports fields, lighting, ponds. Mooren loves being involved in everything happening outdoors. That doesn’t mean he’s mowing the grass himself or putting up flags, but he oversees amongst others the contractor Heijmans, whose staff carry out the actual maintenance work.
What time do you clock in?
“I start at seven in the morning. That has its perks. Since I live in Nederweert, I can avoid the rush hour traffic—it’s only a half-hour drive. Plus, Heijmans, the contractor I work with, also starts early.”
What does your job involve exactly?
“As an advisor, I provide input during the design phase of campus development, like with the creation of the Blauwe Loper. As ground manager, I coordinate with the teams responsible for maintaining the green areas (plants and trees), the blue (the three ponds), and the gray (paths and pavements). I also oversee the outdoor furniture—things like lamp posts, benches and signs. On top of that, I keep an eye on cleanliness, such as emptying trash bins and picking up litter.”
Is there a difference between winter and summer?
“In summer, there’s no need for ice control. There’s more greenery to manage instead.”
How did you end up in this role?
“Eighteen years ago, I applied for the position of technical grounds coordinator. Before that, I held a similar role at the Ministry of Defense, at the military base in Oirschot. I also worked as a gardener. I have a background in horticulture and was trained to be a green education teacher, though I never taught. My position at TU/e has developed into what it is today.”
What has been the biggest change?
“Since 2010, we’ve moved from effort-based contracts to performance-based contracts. That’s a big shift. We used to check whether the work was done properly; now the responsibility lies more with the contractor, while we manage the process. For example, Heijmans now has to meet standards in a ‘visual quality catalogue’ and report on results monthly. That catalogue specifies, for instance, that grass can’t be shorter than 3 centimeters or taller than 7, and lawns must have at least 95 percent coverage.”
What’s the best part of the job?
“That I have a say in every aspect of the campus grounds. I help create a pleasant environment for people. It really makes my day when I hear someone compliment the campus. Just recently, I got an email out of the blue saying how beautiful the grounds looked. That gave me goosebumps.”
And the least enjoyable part?
“Two things: litter and ice control. We try incredibly hard, but ice control is never perfect. A few winters ago someone slipped and fell, and that really got to me.
And I get seriously annoyed by cigarette butts on the ground. Complaints have been increasing over the past two months, and I see it myself. We had just cleared the entrance near Neuron before a weekend, and afterward, there were cigarette butts everywhere again. It really frustrates me that people smoke on a smoke-free campus.”
What time do you clock out?
“I finish at 4:30 p.m. I work four nine-hour days and one half-day every two weeks. I spend most of my time indoors at my office in Atlas. When it’s rainy, cold, too hot, or windy, I think back to when I worked outside all the time, and I feel good about my current setup. I still walk around campus when it fits into my schedule.”
What do you do when you're off the clock?
“I’m really into sports. I play tennis in Nederweert, swim in the pool I built in our backyard, and go on walks with my wife Jacqueline. I also enjoy working in the garden. It’s very neatly landscaped, and there’s not a single weed in sight. That’s the gardener in me—I was trained that way.”
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