‘Be approachable and open to different perspectives’ - Interview with new WOS director Evrim Ursavas

Evrim Ursavas will start as the new scientific director of the Wubbo Ockels School for Energy and Climate on 1 September. In this interview, the professor of Energy Logistics discusses her own research and her plans for the School. ‘Scientists are very good at bringing knowledge, but collecting knowledge from society is just as valuable.’

Text: Jelle Posthuma

Within the Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB), Ursavas works on challenges in the fields of energy and logistics. She applies mathematical models in her research. ‘It might sound highly quantitative, but it is also strongly qualitative. We look at real energy problems. The key is to understand these problems thoroughly and translate our models into the “real world”. This requires a broad mix of approaches and disciplines.’

In her research, Ursavas focuses specifically on the energy supply chain. ‘We often do not use energy in the same place where it is generated. How do we transport it? Where do we store it? Is the source stable? These are the questions we face and try to model.’ Sustainable energy is not always available, she continues. ‘Fossils fuels offer on-demand power, but the same does not apply to solar or wind energy. How do we deal with this new situation? The energy mix is now much more varied: a combination of fossil and sustainable sources. This also requires much more collaboration between different disciplines.’

Knowledge from outside

This broad approach aligns with the interdisciplinary Schools for Science & Society at the University of Groningen, where major societal challenges are addressed across the boundaries of disciplines and institutions. ‘If you want to tackle societal problems, interdisciplinarity is of great importance,’ Ursavas knows. She also emphasises the importance of collaboration outside academia. ‘It is essential that we, as a university, remain open to other perspectives. As a scientist, you can learn from everyone. Scientists are very good at sharing knowledge, but collecting knowledge from society is just as valuable.’

This collaboration with stakeholders outside the university fits her own background. ‘I graduated as an engineer and later specialised in business and economics. I worked outside academia for ten years, in banking. This experience has greatly helped me collaborate with parties outside the academic world. We can come up with fantastic technological innovations at the university, but if society does not adopt them, we will not get anywhere.’

A unique region

Ursavas sees the Wubbo Ockels School primarily as a facilitator of collaboration between different scientific disciplines and stakeholders from society. ‘Our School is the platform where people who normally would not meet, now do meet. We need to create the best possible environment for this.’ The School also plays an important role within the Northern ecosystem. ‘Our region is a frontrunner in the field of energy. The UG has an important role to play in this collaboration.’

According to the new WOS director, the North has a unique infrastructure in the field of energy, largely due to the history of gas extraction. ‘Not just physically, but also in terms of knowledge.’ Due to the earthquake issues, the North must use the existing infrastructure in a different way and repurpose it to support sustainable alternatives..’ 

Ursavas points to the Groningen Hydrogen Valley Campus Europe, the first hub in Europe where knowledge about hydrogen is collected to accelerate the green hydrogen economy. ‘In the rest of Europe, our example is now being followed. The UG can also play an important role as a supplier of human capital to make the energy transition a reality, of course together with mbo and hbo.’ 

A go-to place

The professor of Energy Logistics wants to build on the foundation laid in recent years as the new director of the Wubbo Ockels School. ‘Lorenzo [Squintani] has done a fantastic job, or rather, the School has done a fantastic job. I have only just started. The coming period will mainly be about getting to know people and remembering all the new faces and names,’ she laughs. ‘I will be soaking all of that up in the coming weeks.’

There will be plenty of challenges in the coming period, the new director knows. The Wubbo Ockels School will adopt a new theme as a School: sustainability. ‘Sustainability is, of course, closely linked to topics such as energy and climate. We will work out what the new theme means for our School in the coming months.’

According to Ursavas, the Wubbo Ockels School should ultimately become a ‘go-to place’ for researchers who do not normally work together. She hopes that people will find her approachable as a director. ‘I am naturally a curious person and always interested in what others think. I see this openness to different perspectives as the foundation for our School. It is important that our School is also seen as approachable. You can always come to us with your questions.’