Jasper's day
Jasper Knoester is the dean of the Faculty of Science. How is he doing, what exactly does he do and what does his day look like? In each newsletter, Jasper gives an insight into his life.
Thursday 11 September - ‘The incubator is a great asset to our campus’
‘Today is a quiet start to a busy day. My first meeting in Leiden is at half past nine, so I get up relaxed. I am now used to having only one child at home for whom I can make lunch. Last night, I was in contact with Jasmijn, who is enjoying her time in Thailand and is taking a diving course on one of the beautiful islands this week.
A new incubator on campus
After two work meetings at the office and dealing with some emails, I head to the Biopartner 4 building on campus, where the House of Quantum is opening today. This is the new incubator location for start-up companies focusing on applications in quantum technology. In Leiden, our faculty plays a prominent role in a number of national programmes and collaborations in the field of quantum science and technology, including the National Growth Fund programme Quantum Delta NL.
Quantum knowledge in Leiden
I think it is a great asset that we now have this incubator on our campus. Our scientific position in the field of quantum mechanical behaviour has been undisputed for years. We are excellently equipped for this, with one of the most vibration-free measurement halls in the world and excellent control of extremely low temperatures. All this is in keeping with the long tradition of our Nobel Prize winner Heike Kamerlingh-Onnes.
We have recently broadened our expertise to include quantum computing, quantum information and quantum sensing, and we also share a Quantum Information Science and Technology educational programme with TU Delft. The House of Quantum fits in perfectly with all of this, and it is wonderful that we can now demonstrate and grow our strengths in this area on our own campus.
A festive opening
It is important for the future of the faculty that we further open our windows to the world outside academia, and an incubator helps enormously in this regard, because it better demonstrates how we contribute to technological development and will also invite more researchers and facilitate the establishment of start-up companies.
The reception is festively busy and the networking begins immediately. The opening takes shape with several interviews, including one with Jan Aarts, former scientific director of LION – and still an important player in the organisation of our quantum activities – who enthusiastically explains why he considers the House of Quantum so important.
From scientific research to startup
After the opening, I join a tour of the building. We see that this building, originally intended for life sciences, has now been prepared for its new function, with vibration-free platforms in each laboratory and facilities for low temperatures. I am delighted to visit the company QuantaMap, which originated from research conducted at LION.
Here, a new type of microscope is being built that can test the functioning of qubits at temperatures around 1 Kelvin (!). The aim is to prepare tomorrow's technology, which can be used for quality control in future quantum chip factories, similar to how this is currently done in the traditional semiconductor industry. An impressive idea with enormous potential! I chat for a while with Kaveh Lahabi, co-founder and CTO of QuantaMap, and Daan Boltje, system architect.
A busy day filled with meetings
I would love to stay longer to look around and chat, but I have to hurry back to the office, where I have a preparatory meeting for the International Cooperation and Knowledge Security instruction presentations that we are organising in the faculty in the coming weeks. After that, I rush to the Rapenburg, where I first have my monthly coordination meeting with the dean of the LUMC, Marlies Reinders, followed by the Board Meeting, the consultation between the Executive Board and the deans. There is a variety of important topics on the agenda, ranging from social safety to the substantive profiling of the university. Afterwards, we have dinner together, continuing our discussion of administrative matters.
Around eight o'clock, I hurry home, where I arrive early enough to still go to the gym. Today, I do a combination of exercises for my hips and neck and swim laps in the pool. This is followed, of course, by a quick visit to the sauna. Refreshed, I cycle home, where I do some reading for tomorrow. I go to bed early. Tomorrow I will be working in Groningen, so it will certainly not be as lazy a start as today, but it is sure to be another wonderful day.