Annelies Verschuren has always had a keen eye for detail, but she truly shines as Master of Ceremonies. The beadle ensures that everything runs flawlessly during PhD defenses, inaugural lectures, farewell lectures, the Opening of the Academic Year, Momentum, Research Day, and degree ceremonies. There are six other beadles in the pool. The Office of Doctoral Presentations and Academic Ceremonies ensures that each beadle works around twenty hours a month. Eighty percent of the work involves PhD defenses.

What time do you clock in?

“On some days I oversee three PhD defenses. Then I start at 10:00 a.m. In the defense room in Atlas, I prepare the chair’s gavel and notepads for all committee members so they can take notes. I check that there are enough chairs and that the room is tidy. Are there microphones for the paranymphs, if there are any? Then I greet the committee members and make sure they’re properly dressed. In the committee room—but also in the gown room in the Auditorium—I hand out loaner gowns if needed.”

What do you think about the fact that ‘everyone’ has become a professor?

“I think it’s a great development that, since last November, TU/e assistant and associate professors also have the right to act as PhD supervisors and may therefore wear a gown. In addition to the existing loaner gowns, nine departments now have their own gown hanging in the gown room. That seems sufficient for now. Scientists are always busy thinking, and sometimes they forget in the morning that they have a PhD ceremony later that day. This summer I saw a scientist arrive in flip-flops. I do have spare caps and blouses, but no shoes. The solution was to use an extra-long gown to cover the bare feet.”

What else does your job involve besides these preparations?

“I put the PhD candidate at ease and go over the protocol with them. I pick up the beadle’s staff from the control room (from which all PhD ceremonies have been livestreamed since COVID). I escort the committee members from the committee room to the defense room—always a solemn moment. I say, ‘All rise, please,’ and when I leave again, ‘Please be seated’. Exactly one hour later, I reenter and end the defense with ‘Hora est’. The chair suspends the session, and I escort the committee members out for deliberation. After about fifteen minutes, I bring them back in for the formal awarding of the degree. I check that the chair informs the audience about the photo moment to follow, and then I escort the committee members out again. After that, I fetch the PhD candidate to give the committee members the opportunity to congratulate and embrace them personally. We don’t do that inside the hall—we maintain the decorum there.”

“Oh, and the beadle also arranges the order of the cortège at other academic ceremonies. The Executive Board and speakers go first, followed by the mayor if present, then the deans in alphabetical order by department, guests from outside, and finally the TU/e professors.”

How did you end up in this role?

“I worked at TU/e for 26 years. In 2000, I set up the Office of Doctoral Presentations and Academic Ceremonies together with Elly Duran, and later I worked at the Communication Expertise Center. In my farewell interview with Cursor, I already mentioned that I’d love to become a beadle—I think that was even the title of the piece. Besides my love for ceremony, I deeply admire the drive of scientists. The things these brilliant people come up with! And the dedication and sacrifices they make to figure things out.”

What do you enjoy most about your job?

“These ceremonies are all celebrations in their own way. When it’s a closing ceremony, a long PhD journey has come to an end or an entire career is being celebrated. When it’s an opening, it’s about hope and new beginnings. Personally, I really enjoy the laudations during PhD defenses—the personal words from the first supervisor that help me get to know the new doctor better.”

And what do you enjoy least?

After thinking for a long moment: “That I can’t find a parking spot when I arrive on campus. I can’t think of anything else. It’s simply a wonderful job with wonderful colleagues. Did I mention that on April 10, 2026, TU/e will host the national Beadle Day? That will be a celebration for me too. TU/e will turn 70 that year.”

What time do you clock out?

“When I have three defenses in a day, the last one starts at 4:00 p.m. Only after the reception, once I’ve collected all the loaner gowns, can I lock up the committee and gown room. By then it’s past six. Professors like to wear their gowns a bit longer—and I think it suits them; it gives them a certain stature.”

What do you do once you’ve clocked out?

“When I get home, my husband has dinner ready. I pour myself a glass of red wine and enjoy the evening. I often do some handcrafting, either with a friend or with my neighbors. I also love taking creative workshops. Recently, I’ve been making a tree of life from blue and green glass shards that fuse together in a kiln — a special glass oven. The finished piece will be placed in a stand by a window in our home.”

This article was translated using AI-assisted tools and reviewed by an editor.