As a postdoc or a PhD student, demonstrating full commitment to your research project while keeping an eye on your next career step in- or outside academia can be experienced as quite a challenge. How can you reach your full potential and get the most out of your research project? How can you prepare for the next step when your contract ends? It is important that you are encouraged to actively think about your position and the direction that you are heading to. PIs can play a positive role in this process, but sometimes remain uninvolved.

After three successful earlier editions, we will organize a similar meeting on April 13th. The goals of this meeting are:

• To increase awareness among supervisors, postdocs and PhD students on the necessity of personal and career development to deliver excellent research;
• To call postdocs and PhD students into action, to take charge of their own career;
• To encourage supervisors to actively support their employees in career development and in future career decisions;
• To stimulate early career researchers and their supervisors to jointly take actions to improve personal, professional and career development.

We are curious to hear your thoughts on what can be improved. Please join us at this discussion, we greatly appreciate your presence and contribution.

Introducing Jos Dingjan (Airbus DS)

We have invited dr. ir. Jos Dingjan from Airbus Defence and Space to tell us more about his career. Between 1998 and 2003 Jos was a PhD student in the Quantum Optics group, under Han Woerdman (promotor) & Martin van Exter (copromotor). His thesis was entitled: 'Multi-mode optical resonators and wave chaos.' After that, Jos worked as a postdoctoral research associate in Philippe Grangier’s Groupe d’Optique Quantique, Institut d’Optique, Orsay (France), where he did fundamental research on optical trapping of single rubidium atoms, on-demand generation of single photons, and quantum optics. In 2005, Jos took on a second postdoctoral position in Ed Hinds’s Centre for Cold Matter, Imperial College London, (United Kingdom). Here he conducted fundamental research on cold atoms, Bose-Einstein condensates, and matter wave interferometry using atom chips. After four years in this position Jos went on in industry; he was hired as a physics consultant by The Technology Partnership (also in the UK). There he was responsible for the design, development, and testing of a.o. optical devices, systems, and products, in particular novel ophthalmic products, and instruments, systems, and disposables for biological and biomedical sample preparation and testing. Acquisition and project management were also part of his job here.

In 2012, Jos moved back to the Netherlands where he became lead engineer optical systems at Airbus Defence and Space. At Airbus, Jos is responsible for optical concept definition, requirements definition and management, optical design, optical (shadow) engineering, optical system engineering (all for optical instruments for space-based earth observation), commissioning and testing of optical tools, early-stage studies on future instruments, key components and subsystems, and many other things he would like to talk to you about on April 13.