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Stan Heijnen
My work
“Scientific progress is constant, making my job very diverse. Twelve of us at Nikhef are currently working on the Einstein Telescope Pathfinder in Maastricht, a huge R&D lab which we have now largely finished constructing over the course of four years in a cleanroom. The ETPathfinder is a research and development infrastructure that will be used to test concepts and supporting technologies for the Einstein telescope. It is the first of a new future generation of gravitational-wave observatories. I’m very proud of it. We are making something really special here.”
“The instrument makers and engineers discuss solutions to technical challenges during weekly brainstorming sessions. Physicists come to us with ideas and challenge requiring implementation. We all have our own personal approaches, based on the envisioned results and a certain amount of intuition. Some focus on finding the fastest path to a workable solution. Others are chess players, thinking through the moves to get them where they need to be. Those differences are what make us such a strong team.”
My background
“After completing my training at the Leiden Instrument Makers School, I worked in the school’s workshop for a year. Then a former classmate told me about his employer, Nikhef. His stories about Nikhef sounded really cool. I’ve been fascinated by the wonders of the universe since childhood. So, I sent in an unsolicited application. That was five and a half years ago. I continue to find great pleasure in my work here every day.”
The organisation
"I feel like I belong at Nikhef, especially due to how open and approachable everyone is. You can always reach out to a colleague if there’s something you don’t know or you need a bit of help. That could be an engineer or one of the researchers, doesn’t matter. You do need to be clear on what you want to achieve. Initiative is valued. You have to be flexible too, as jobs can often go in unexpected directions or modifications be required. It’s wonderful to see all the things people come up with, figuring out ways to decode just a bit more information. Assignments are quite varied, and can be complex at times.”