The jury commends Storm for his commitment to flatten the hierarchy at the university. He started this endeavor upon his inauguration in 2018, where he said: “I believe that everyone involved in educating our students and PhD candidates, in acquiring and managing funds that allow for our research, and in developing and conducting our future research, is doing the work of a professor.” He also played an important role in convincing his fellow deans of the importance of reducing hierarchy, as stated in the AOb’s press article.

Token of appreciation

In addition to full professors, Storm believes that assistant professors and associate professors should also be allowed to use the title of professor. Furthermore, he advocates for two other measures, namely that lecturers also get to wear their academic gown during ceremonies, and that they get the right to award doctorates to their own students. Storm: “Sometimes people think: why do you care so much, but it really means something. It symbolizes the quality that we as professors represent. That needs to be recognized more widely.”

Storm thinks it is important to implement these measures because a new generation is entering the university. That new generation doesn’t want to wait before they can call themselves professors. “I believe you have to show them that you appreciate them. You shouldn’t make them wait until they’re in their late 40s or early 50s. They don’t necessarily have to become full professors, they can choose to do that later, but you can show this token of appreciation earlier.” Storm adds that there is absolutely no legal obstacle to implementing these measures. “You’re always allowed to wear an academic gown and the title “professor” isn’t even protected.”

Although TU/e was a frontrunner in terms of granting assistant and associate professors the right to confer doctorates, the university is now lagging behind on the other two measures. “I hope Eindhoven can embrace all three. However, that doesn’t mean I’m advocating that anyone can become a professor just like that, nor that anyone should get the right to confer doctorates unconditionally,” Storm emphasizes. “We have to maintain quality. When you start a master’s degree, you also don’t get the title immediately. You have to earn it. Maybe it can be obtained through a course.”

Other winner

In addition to Storm, Marie-José van Tol, professor of cognitive neuropsychiatry at the University of Groningen, also received the award. Like Storm, she has ”made tireless efforts” to promote the theme of “everyone professor”. Van Tol did so as chair of The Young Academy. The jury also gave an “honorable mention” to the third nominee for the award. That nominee is Evgenia Salta, affiliated with the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW). She is committed to fostering a more inclusive work environment.

What about the title of professor?

The academic staff at Dutch universities is largely organized into three levels: assistant professor, associate professor and full professor. Although they all have doctorates and teach independently, setting up and conducting their own line of research, only full professors and adjunct professors now carry the title “professor”. As per the law, assistant professors and associate professors are also allowed to use this title, but this is determined by the university. Source: Everyone professor! | The Young Academy