- The University
- 30/10/2025
Graduate School restructured, education and research split
The TU/e Graduate School is undergoing major changes. Ines Lopez Arteaga, dean of the Bachelor College, will become responsible for the master’s programs. From now on, only the PhD and EngD programs will fall under the Graduate School, where departing dean Paul Koenraad will be succeeded by two people: René van Donkelaar and Mark van den Brand.
Until now, the master’s, PhD, and EngD programs were all part of the Graduate School (GS), while the bachelor’s programs were organized under the Bachelor College. With the restructuring of the Graduate School, master’s students and pre-master’s students will now become part of the Bachelor College.
The Graduate School will remain responsible for both the PhD and EngD programs. Dean Ines Lopez Arteaga, who has overseen TU/e’s bachelor’s programs since 2020, will therefore take on an additional responsibility: supervision of the master’s programs.
As of November 1, René van Donkelaar will become dean of the Graduate School, and Mark van den Brand has been appointed the new director of the Stan Ackermans Institute (SAI), a joint initiative of the four Dutch universities of technology. Both will succeed Paul Koenraad, who is retiring after 39 years at TU/e.
“We’ve divided the responsibilities within the Graduate School,” Van Donkelaar explains. “I will be responsible for the PhD programs, and Mark van den Brand will do the same for the EngD programs. In addition, Mark will serve as director of the Stan Ackermans Institute, which organizes the EngD programs on a national level.”
According to rector magnificus Silvia Lenaerts, these changes in TU/e’s administrative structure will be reflected in the organization so that it aligns better with current practice. “Our bachelor’s and master’s programs are closely aligned in both organization and content, as they are primarily education-focused, while our PhD and EngD programs are research- and valorization-oriented. This makes it logical to introduce this new separation.”
Evolving insight
Paul Koenraad played a key role in developing the new administrative structure. In an interview with Cursor, he spoke about his succession and how the decision for the new structure was made. “When we established the Bachelor College, we believed that there would be added value if the different departments coordinated more closely at the program level.”
That’s why, in 2015, the pre-master’s, master’s, PhD, and EngD programs were combined, wrapped together under the umbrella of the Graduate School. Koenraad: “However, we have now found that this setup doesn’t quite work as intended.”
One of the many arguments for splitting the Graduate School, according to Koenraad, is the difference in employment status. “PhD candidates and EngD trainees are in fact employees, supported by Human Resource Management. The other two groups are students, and they fall under Education and Student Affairs.”
The successors
René van Donkelaar has worked at the Department of Biomedical Engineering since its founding in 1998. Since July 2017, he has served as program director for the bachelor’s program and the two master’s programs at that department. In addition, he has been dean of TU/e’s Honors Academy for the past two years. In his new role as head of the Graduate School, his main focus will be on PhD programs.
Mark van den Brand is full professor of Software Engineering and Technology and program director at the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science. Until mid-2024, he was scientific director of the Digital Twin Lab, part of EAISI. Van den Brand is pleased with his new position as head of SAI: “My ambition is to increase both the appreciation and the visibility of the EngD programs.”
This article was translated using AI-assisted tools and reviewed by an editor
Discussion