One thing is clear after our in-depth interview: if it wasn’t academia, she could easily have had a successful career in music or sport. Fun and substance are the two words she uses most – the guiding principles behind all her choices. She’s never been into career planning. Anita Jansen, professor of Experimental Clinical Psychology and dean of the Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, was made a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) in 2017.

She is blunt when it comes to her colleagues’ awareness of the issue of open access: what awareness? According to Lisa Brüggen, professor of Financial Services at the School of Business and Economics (SBE), there is much work to do. “Open access has many advantages and makes academia more honest. It gives more people access to your articles, and means you can have more impact.” To promote awareness of open access, the week starting 23 October has been declared International Open Access Week.

Should the people who run the fastest at work be the ones to get promoted first? Or should it be those with the most potential? How can organisations persuade talented women to stick around, instead of watching one after the other walk out the door? Isabella Grabner believes that the way performance is measured makes a huge difference on the work floor. “And that’s the hopeful part, since this is something firms can fix themselves.”

“I’m from Italy and did my bachelor’s in Psychology at another Dutch university, Leiden. After high school I wasn’t sure what to study, so I went to London for two and a half years to improve my English. After that I wanted to study abroad, because I liked the international vibe, the open mind and I think it’s beneficial for your future.”

“I was born in South Africa, my mum is from Taiwan and I grew up in Cyprus. With this background, plus the many international internships I did during high school, it was quite natural for me to choose a study programme abroad.”

Why and how do some female child carers in Lesotho manage to stay in school despite being responsible for running a household? This was the question that researcher Brenda Yamba, originally from Zambia, wanted to answer. She defended her PhD at Maastricht University last June.

“I’m originally from Cologne in Germany and I was looking for a study programme abroad, taught in English but close to home. The year before I came to Maastricht, I was working in the tourist sector in Italy. So I moved directly from Italy to Maastricht.”

The work lawyers do, the way they do it – indeed, the entire labour market – is changing radically. This calls for new, ‘soft’ skills, which in turn requires an education revolution. And to this end innovative technology can make an important contribution, according to Bram Akkermans, Catalina Goanta and Gwen Noteborn from Maastricht University’s Faculty of Law. They are integrating simulations, virtual worlds and holograms into their teaching. “Innovative education is in our DNA.”

Jan van Manen held many positions during his four decades in the police force. Now, as a member of the National Video Reconstruction Team and the Disaster Victim Identification Team, he still works the occasional 60 hour week. But this didn’t stop him from starting, at the ripe age of 55, the Master in Forensics, Criminology and Law at Maastricht University (UM). His next goal: to obtain his PhD on the role of video reconstruction in criminal procedure. “I want to keep on learning and working for as long as possible.”

*but it can make a big difference in an immigrant’s life

It takes five years of uninterrupted stay in the Netherlands for a foreigner to become a Dutch citizen through naturalisation. According to some political parties, this is too short a period to become a full member of society. The government planned to increase the minimum residence requirement to seven years. Maarten Vink, professor of Political Science at Maastricht University, was against the proposal. “It’s not based on any scientific evidence.”