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Bas Arts appointed part-time Chief Scientist at PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency
Bas Arts has been appointed Chief Scientist at PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, effective 15 October.In July, Arts stepped down from his role as head of the Forest and Nature Conservation Policy (FNP) chair group, a position he had held for 12 and a half years.He still retains his position as a personal professor at Wageningen University.Arts will work at PBL two days a week for a term of five years, and will continue to spend two days a week with Wageningen University.
As Chief Scientist, he will be advising PBL’s management on the focus of its knowledge development, and will also be monitoring the scientific quality of the agency’s research. He will drive innovation based on the development of new research methods and the identification of scientific themes relevant to PBL’s research He will also be evaluating the scientific impact of the agency’s work, and will be the first point of contact for visitations. “In other words, I’ll be kept busy,” said Arts.
Speaking about his appointment as Chief Scientist, he added: “Having spent years focused on the scientific relevance of knowledge, I was ready to turn my attention towards achieving social relevance. Its research is excellent and also highly relevant to policy. I also feel really drawn towards the agency’s research themes, and to how they bridge knowledge and policy. I’m looking forward to contributing to the quality of PBL’s research and its research agenda over the next few years.”