Roelien Attema

Roelien Attema, Director of R&D at ASTRON, the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy. To push the boundaries of our knowledge of the universe, we must continuously push the technological limits of our telescopes. Applied innovation at the cutting edge of what's possible, together with experts from various disciplines, is her driving force.

She is a member of the MT and head of the R&D department, which comprises 65 engineers with expertise ranging from antenna design and signal processing to HPC, algorithmics, and software development, from systems engineering to project management, collaborating on innovation projects with academic and industrial partners. She is also active in the regional Northern Netherlands and national HTSM ecosystem, serving as a director of the Drachten Innovation Cluster, a fellow of the Netherlands Academy of Engineering, and recently as a program council member at Holland High Tech.

If you'd like more background, please note: Previously, she worked at TNO for nearly 20 years, where she held various roles as a content expert, account manager, advisor, and project manager, ultimately leading to a managerial role.