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At EURAMET's General Assembly in May 2018, Vincent Fokkema (VSL, The Netherlands) has been elected as new Board of Directors member.

Prior to joining VSL, the Dutch metrology institute, Vincent completed his PhD in experimental physics at Leiden University, where he developed a scanning tunnelling microscope dedicated to atomic-scale, real-time observations of physical vapour deposition of thin films and ion erosion. Vincent then took these skills forward in his role as a Research and Development Scientist at VSL in the field Nanometrology, working on various projects within EMRP including investigating novel scanning probe microscopy techniques for characterising nanometer-sized objects. During this time, Vincent was also the Project Manager for Dimensional Metrology, which saw him negotiating and carrying out the yearly contract with the Ministry of Economic Affairs that supports the maintenance and development of national measurement standards in the Netherlands.

In 2015, he switched to a managerial position within VSL as head of Calibrations and Reference Materials Department, focussing on providing accurate and traceable services in a wide range of technical areas. Now managing director of VSL, a position he has held since 2017, Vincent is responsible for both R&D and commercial activities.

"As member of the BoD, I would like to promote the acceleration of results from research projects being taken up by our stakeholders in industry and society. Owing to VSL's business model as a private company, the true valorization of science is always at the center of my attention. Regarding impact and collaboration on the European level, the best playing field will be within the European Metrology Networks, and so I would like to help shape these into robust collaboration instruments that bring together research and application. Another vital point I will address in my appointment as member of the BoD is the 'popularity' of metrology, especially amongst students in the technical sciences. For a truly sustainable metrology infrastructure, investing in human capital development is at least as important as optimising the output and impact of our research projects, programmes, and networks."