65 Is an artificial boundary

“It’s not good for my 14 year old son to have a retired father.”

“We have to give Tsinghua University new impulses and a Western touch,” says Professor Jakob de Swaan Arons. In the coming years, Tsinghua University aims to use chair professorships to attract 50 distinguished western scientists. De Swaan Arons has been appointed to one such chair professorship at the department of Chemical Engineering for four months a year.

The Chinese government invests lots of money in Tsinghua University and Peking University, the country’s two best universities. “They only had very modest means ten years ago,” De Swaan Aron says. “Nowadays, though, it seems they outstrip Dutch universities. The facilities for staff and students are far more luxurious than in the Netherlands.”

Chinese students sit on nice cushioned chairs during lectures and teachers can draw formulas on a piece of paper and then have them instantly digitalized and projected on a screen. And the huge campus has lots of sporting facilities, including an Olympic-size swimming pool. Last week De Swaan Arons delivered his first lecture: “The students asked lots of questions. They were very interested and wanted to practise their English.”

Hospitality

De Swaan Arons lived all over the world during his 20 year career at Shell. After leaving Shell, he was a TU professor for 20 years, and it was only four weeks ago that he gave his valedictory lecture in Delft. Now, part of his future lies in the Far East.

But why is he embarking on a new career after achieving emeritus status as a TU Delft professor? “65 is an artificial boundary. I’m still very enthusiastic about thermodynamics, the ultimate science of the conversion of matter and energy, and it’s application to sustainable development,” he says. “I still have enough energy, so I’m glad for the opportunity to continue teaching and conducting research in China. Above all, I have a 14 year old son and it’s not good for him to have a retired farther.”

In Holland, De Swaan Arons’ job hasn’t completely finished yet either. He’s still supervising seven PhD-students and one Postdoc; moreover, he’s working on the last two chapters of a book, co-authored by a teacher and a former student of his.

The hospitality in Peking is enormous, according to De Swaan Arons: “They arrange all kind of things for me, so I only have to do wherefore they appointed me. A PhD-student showed me around and he also acts as interpreter when I want to speak to scientists who don’t speak English well.”

Last week De Swaan Arons visited his new apartment in China for the first time: “To be able to live in China, I must learn a kind of survival Chinese language, including the main characters, which you need in daily life.”

Shell

As a senior scientist, De Swaan Arons has also been asked to find two junior chair professors for the Chemical Engineering department. “They ask a lot of me,” he says. “But first I’d like to put my classes back on track and better discover what they are looking for.” Tsinghua University also wants De Swaan Arons to establish contacts with industry. “When I mentioned my former sponsor Shell, however, they hesitated. Three Dutch companies have expressed interest in cooperating with my new university. They’re already wondering how much they’ll have to pay for a PhD-project in China.”

De Swaan Arons will also evaluate the sustainability of chemical industries in China. “They’re trying to reduce the environmental impact of phosphor and sulphur. However, Chinese industry’s main energy source is coal, and coal produces more than twice as much CO2 as natural gas for the same amount of energy.”

“My own driving force is curiosity, the drive to understand what seems puzzling. I so much like working on thermodynamical problems that I’m happy it’s applicable to industry and sustainable development.”

Recently, De Swaan Arons has also been working on translating sustainability into clear numbers. “Fossil fuels, for example, slip into everything. Not everyone realises that when you use urea, a fertiliser component, you consume fossil fuels, because urea is made out of hydrogen, which is produced with fossil fuels. Our thermodynamical analyses often reveal that a so-called green process isn’t really green.”

Professor Jakob de Swaan Arons, who reached professor emeritus status at TU Delft at age 65, embarks on a new career at China’s Tsinghua University. “It’s not good for my 14 year old son to have a retired father.”

“We have to give Tsinghua University new impulses and a Western touch,” says Professor Jakob de Swaan Arons. In the coming years, Tsinghua University aims to use chair professorships to attract 50 distinguished western scientists. De Swaan Arons has been appointed to one such chair professorship at the department of Chemical Engineering for four months a year.

The Chinese government invests lots of money in Tsinghua University and Peking University, the country’s two best universities. “They only had very modest means ten years ago,” De Swaan Aron says. “Nowadays, though, it seems they outstrip Dutch universities. The facilities for staff and students are far more luxurious than in the Netherlands.”

Chinese students sit on nice cushioned chairs during lectures and teachers can draw formulas on a piece of paper and then have them instantly digitalized and projected on a screen. And the huge campus has lots of sporting facilities, including an Olympic-size swimming pool. Last week De Swaan Arons delivered his first lecture: “The students asked lots of questions. They were very interested and wanted to practise their English.”

Hospitality

De Swaan Arons lived all over the world during his 20 year career at Shell. After leaving Shell, he was a TU professor for 20 years, and it was only four weeks ago that he gave his valedictory lecture in Delft. Now, part of his future lies in the Far East.

But why is he embarking on a new career after achieving emeritus status as a TU Delft professor? “65 is an artificial boundary. I’m still very enthusiastic about thermodynamics, the ultimate science of the conversion of matter and energy, and it’s application to sustainable development,” he says. “I still have enough energy, so I’m glad for the opportunity to continue teaching and conducting research in China. Above all, I have a 14 year old son and it’s not good for him to have a retired farther.”

In Holland, De Swaan Arons’ job hasn’t completely finished yet either. He’s still supervising seven PhD-students and one Postdoc; moreover, he’s working on the last two chapters of a book, co-authored by a teacher and a former student of his.

The hospitality in Peking is enormous, according to De Swaan Arons: “They arrange all kind of things for me, so I only have to do wherefore they appointed me. A PhD-student showed me around and he also acts as interpreter when I want to speak to scientists who don’t speak English well.”

Last week De Swaan Arons visited his new apartment in China for the first time: “To be able to live in China, I must learn a kind of survival Chinese language, including the main characters, which you need in daily life.”

Shell

As a senior scientist, De Swaan Arons has also been asked to find two junior chair professors for the Chemical Engineering department. “They ask a lot of me,” he says. “But first I’d like to put my classes back on track and better discover what they are looking for.” Tsinghua University also wants De Swaan Arons to establish contacts with industry. “When I mentioned my former sponsor Shell, however, they hesitated. Three Dutch companies have expressed interest in cooperating with my new university. They’re already wondering how much they’ll have to pay for a PhD-project in China.”

De Swaan Arons will also evaluate the sustainability of chemical industries in China. “They’re trying to reduce the environmental impact of phosphor and sulphur. However, Chinese industry’s main energy source is coal, and coal produces more than twice as much CO2 as natural gas for the same amount of energy.”

“My own driving force is curiosity, the drive to understand what seems puzzling. I so much like working on thermodynamical problems that I’m happy it’s applicable to industry and sustainable development.”

Recently, De Swaan Arons has also been working on translating sustainability into clear numbers. “Fossil fuels, for example, slip into everything. Not everyone realises that when you use urea, a fertiliser component, you consume fossil fuels, because urea is made out of hydrogen, which is produced with fossil fuels. Our thermodynamical analyses often reveal that a so-called green process isn’t really green.”