‘I want to organise processes in such a way that researchers can focus mostly on the content of their work.’
Research Director Judy Veldhuijzen, who started her new role this month, answers questions from colleagues. What is her vision for the institute? How does she view open leadership? And: how healthy is the GMN researcher herself?
This year, Judy's summer holiday was marked by major life events coming together. She took a special trip to Australia with her family to make memories with her husband, son and daughter. Her impressions of the awe-inspiring nature and kind people merged with her grief for Andrea Evers, a dear colleague who passed away during the summer break. ‘It was a difficult, emotional period, and my mind was often with my colleagues. At the same time, there were so many beautiful moments. We stayed in the middle of the tropical rainforest, in lodges with an outdoor living room and kitchen. In the morning we were given a basket of tropical fruit, freshly picked from the trees. And the wildlife. The nature was absolutely incredible! I could really ground myself there.’
After your holiday, a major challenge awaits you at an institute that is going through difficult times. Why did you apply for the position of Research Director?
‘Precisely because of those challenges. This is the moment when I can make a real difference to the institute, by helping to find the best solutions in this situation. It is a role in which you can really develop and learn a lot. But it is a great responsibility, too. Personally, I wanted someone to fill this position who had the interests of the entire institute at heart. Someone with the best intentions and a clear vision. So I thought: if I find this so important, why not do it myself?’
What are you giving up and what will you continue to do?
‘I am stepping down as co-chair of the Ethics Committee, which I fulfilled together with Ruthie Pliskin, as well as from the upcoming FIBER chair position and from my membership in the Medical Ethics Review Committee. These experiences have given me the opportunity to delve extensively into complex issues such as ethics, privacy and data management, topics I have been working on for a longer time as a researcher. Now I will remain working on these topics as a research director.
‘I will remain the lead person for the SSH sector plans on Mental Disorders in Leiden and will continue as hub leader in my Health, Medical and Neuropsychology unit, where we study psychological processes in medical conditions.’
Anne-Fleur Blom: ‘What are you most looking forward to in this role?’
‘To making a meaningful contribution to the institute: building bridges with the Executive Board and collaborating with colleagues. Especially across disciplines; I myself have an interdisciplinary background. If you have a good idea – come and share it!’
Can you tell us more about your interdisciplinary background?
‘After completing my double specialisation in neuropsychology and medical psychology in Utrecht, I started my PhD at Pharmaceutical Sciences in the field of psychopharmacology. Here, I was supervised by professors from medicine, pharmacy and psychology on psychological aspects of pain studies. I then did a postdoc in the field of dentistry in the United States, where pain researchers from various disciplines worked closely together. This was incredibly enjoyable and inspiring. When I returned to the Netherlands, I became assistant professor at the Medicine department of UMC Utrecht. There, I gained valuable experience in patient care and taught both medical students and provided further training for the doctors on the pain ward. I was the only psychologist-researcher in a department full of physicians. They were very open to psychological research and continuing education.’
‘Ultimately, I wanted to return to my psychology roots and chose Leiden University precisely for its interdisciplinary character. Andrea played a decisive role in my decision to come to Leiden. I have now been working here happily as an associate professor for eleven years. I am sincerely interested in how you can look across disciplines. I have had amazing role models in my career; Andrea was one of them. She truly represented interdisciplinarity and social embedding. She was a visionary.’
Niels van Doesum: ‘Are you building on Lotte van Dillen’s work, and what do you think is going well already?’
‘Many things are going well, such as governance processes, PhD policy and the attention to developments like AI and privacy. I am grateful to Lotte for all that has already been achieved; I look forward to continuing to build on that together with all researchers.’
Fenying Zang: ‘Have you already developed a vision?’
‘Despite the circumstances, we can still move forward as an institute. One of my priorities will be to make processes as transparent as possible and organise good support. Researchers encounter complex issues. Especially around privacy, where many changes are taking place. The same applies to AI. I also want to make processes more workable in general, for example those relating to ethics, so that researchers can focus on the content of their research. Lotte and the Board already began working on this, and I am eager to continue it together with our excellent team of experienced policy officers.’
‘Workload remains a point of attention. It was already high on the agenda and has become even more important due to the circumstances. And funding. There are now also cuts to external funding, which researchers depend on. We have to continue to support each other in this. We may do this for example through team science. By submitting joint applications, we can help each other and reduce the sense of competition.’
Colleague GMN: ‘You work at GMN. How healthy are your own habits?’
‘Fairly healthy,’ Judy laughs ‘It’s natural to think about that in our department. After all, we teach about it and gain insights from our own research. I’m paying more and more attention to my healthy behaviours. Especially in terms of working hours, eating healthily, exercising and making time to enjoy and have fun. Of course, I would like to have more time for everything.’
Laura Nawijn: ‘What would you gladly be woken up for in the middle of the night?’
‘For an early morning mountain hike! And of course for my family and friends. In my free time, I love to meet up with friends, travel and go on cultural outings with my family. I also get a lot of joy and relaxation from sport climbing, hiking and spinning.’
Niels van Doesum: ‘I personally think open leadership is very important. How do you feel about that?’
'I definitely think it's important too. To me, open leadership means being transparent and approachable. And being open to innovation and creativity. I combine open leadership with elements of coaching, transformational and directive leadership, with a focus on supporting and developing others.'