“Whose Business Is It Anyway?” – Valedictory Lecture delivered at Utrecht University, 1 July 2014

"...While an inaugural lecture can be seen as the unfolding of a program for the future, the standards are less clear regarding a farewell address. Aft er so many years, the question arises: what have I really learned in the 40+ years in which I have been associated with various universities? In connection to this, I now realise how important “teachers” have been, how much I have learned in the fi rst half of my life, and how much I have gained from this. In elementary school, I learned how much fun it is to learn. Th erefore, when I received the book Ot and Sien (an iconic Dutch children’s book like Dr. Seuss) at my PhD Defense from my, unfortunately very recently deceased fi rst grade teacher, it was very special: I have been fortunate enough to have always had good teachers and tutors. Gradually, the separation between teacher and pupil faded: I am now learning from my colleagues, and perhaps most from my PhD students and young scientists, who ask critical questions and are curious...."