The Board of NWO-I, the institute organization of NWO, appointed Prof. Vanessa Evers as Director of CWI, the national research institute for mathematics and computer science in the Netherlands. In September 2025, she will succeed the current director, Prof. Ton de Kok, who has led the institute since 2020 and will retire. Vanessa Evers is a leading researcher in the field of social artificial intelligence. The appointment as director of CWI is for a period of five years, with the possibility of a reappointment for the same period.
Vanessa Evers is a Full Professor and Chair of Human Media Interaction at the University of Twente’s Computer Science department, a role she will continue alongside her position as CWI Director. She is also the founder and scientific co-director of the university’s DesignLab. In addition, she serves on the Supervisory Board of Radboud University and is a visiting professor at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore.
Beyond her scientific work, Vanessa Evers has been a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion in technology and academia. She actively promotes greater representation of women and underrepresented groups in STEM fields. Additionally, she emphasizes the ethical implications of technological advancements, advocating for socially responsible innovations that benefit all users.
Vanessa Evers will replace Ton de Kook as CWI’s representative in ERCIM.
https://www.cwi.nl/en/news/vanessa-evers-appointed-new-director-of-cwi/
