WYA report:”Lessons from COVID-19 to improve WUR”

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, many academics were struggling to maintain a status quo in which work and private life were balanced in a productive and happy way. The COVID-19 crisis has upended this status quo. While this crisis has disrupted both personal and professional lives, it also provided new opportunities to catalyze much needed change and insights for redesigning a healthier and more sustainable academia.

Wageningen Young Academy organized three online workshops in October of 2020 with the purpose of uncovering new ways to conduct an academic job that may contribute to a healthier and more sustainable academia by reflecting on the changes sparked by the COVID-19 crisis. Our report “ Lessons from COVID-19 disruption to increase the quality of research, teaching, and work-life-balance @WUR” summarizes the suggestions that emerged for each of the three components of academic life: research, teaching and work-life balance. We hope that these suggestions will be considered at WUR as part of new visions for the post-COVID age. We believe that our recommendations will improve the quality of research, teaching, and the lives of staff and students in the coming years.