Mandy Korff appointed as top expert of the Netherlands Academy of Engineering
It was announced this month that the Netherlands Academy of Engineering (NAE) is emphasizing the importance of technological innovation with the appointment of 62 fellows / members. One of the fellows is Mandy Korff, an expert at Deltares on foundation engineering.
The NAE focuses on fostering an innovation environment that generates social and economic value by providing engineering-based solutions. With the appointment of the 62 members, NAE is effectively getting started. Members include experts from knowledge institutions, companies and start-ups. They are active in various sectors, including High Tech Systems and Materials, ICT, Healthcare, Energy, Water Management and Food.
The members will share their knowledge and skills through the NAE forum, translate insights into practical advice and work to remove obstacles and stimulate concrete innovation initiatives. NAE will elect 10 new members each year starting in 2024. On Monday, November 13, the festive inauguration of the members took place at De Nieuwe Kerk in The Hague.
I look forward to being able to contribute to innovations that help address the great challenges in the Netherlands.
Mandy Korff
Connecting engineering and science to society
Mandy is an expert in the field of geotechnical engineering, specifically in interaction between the subsurface and structures. With over 20 years of experience at Deltares, she works mainly in the areas of foundations and subsurface construction, geotechnical risk management and the impact on structures.
For many projects she works on, such as the Amsterdam quay wall program, she looks at how technical knowledge can contribute to societal challenges and solutions. With her curiosity and empathy, she bridges the gap between the hard core of scientific research and the impact on people and the environment.
Mandy Korff: “With my appointment as fellow of the NAE I will be able to network with esteemed engineers from very diverse backgrounds. It allows me to contribute to innovation that will help address the big challenges in The Netherlands. In the NAE we will discuss topics very familiar to Deltares, such as how act in the view of climate change, challenges in urban planning and infrastructure and energy and other transitions.
Many other topics have already been mentioned during the first meeting, such as how to bring in and keep enough engineering talents in our workfields and how to make a strong and fair connection between science and industry. By connecting to engineers in the field of AI, materials, robotics and many more, I also hope to get new ideas on how to go forward. My focus will be on connections of engineering and science with society, so this means also not only working within NAE but certainly also from NAE connecting to other disciplines and groups. The NAE is also a place, just like in Deltares, where I would like to discuss the role of engineers in ethical dilemmas; are we doing whatever is technically possible or do we work towards what is desirable and how we can make our choices wisely?”