I   SOCIAL and EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

  • Born 7th September 1942 in Heerlen, the Netherlands
  • Gymnasium β, 1961, Bernardinus College in Heerlen, the Netherlands

  • Married to Dr.  Els de Heij (retired educator in Law at the Dutch Open University), 22nd November 1968

  • MSc in Physical Engineering, January 1970, Delft University of Technology (Delft, the Netherlands); Award for excellent MSc-thesis research
  • PhD in Informatics, June 1986, University of Ghent (Ghent, Belgium); Summa cum Laude (with Highest Distinction)

 II   PROFESSIONAL CAREER

  • Associate professor at the Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Electronics, Mathematics, and Informatics (EWI), the   Netherlands; retired September 2004 (because of a reorganization)
  • Part-time Professor at the University of Ghent, Belgium (appointed 1993). A chairholder of a special chair on Simulation Sciences
  • Visiting Professor at Technical University of Vienna (Austria, 1978), at California State University of Chico (Cal., USA, 1987), at University of Aeronautics and Astronautics of Beijing (China, 1991/1992)

 III   TEACHING ACTIVITIES

  • At Delft University of Technology: regular courses in Parallel and Supercomputing, Modelling and Simulation, Artificial Intelligence, and Neurocomputing
  • At the University of Ghent: regular courses in Information Processing and Neural Networks
  • Several post-academic courses: a.o. Summer school on “Modelling and Simulation” (Tripoli, Libya 1983), EU Comett course on “Advanced Information Processing in Engineering and Research” (Scheveningen, the Netherlands 1989); Summerschool on “Neural Networks” (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 1991); EU Erasmus course on “Concurrency and Artificial  Intelligence” (Kerkrade, the Netherlands, 1992)
  • Courses in the framework of the above-mentioned visiting professorships

 IV   SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH 

  • Research topics: Modelling and Simulation (mainly of continuous systems), Knowledge-based Systems and Neural  Networks, Intelligent Simulation Environments, Parallel Processing (parallel implementations of AI systems and Neural  Networks)
  • Special research interest: Conjoint Numeric, Symbolic, and Neural Computing; parallel implementation of conjoint systems
  • Application of the above technologies in technical systems and processes
  • Involved in several sponsored and EU-funded research projects
  • Initiator of TU-Delft’s very first “massively parallel processing” machine, an NCUBE supercomputer.

V   EDITORIAL ACTIVITIES

  • Assoc. Editor of  "Simulation", several years from 1993 on
  • Assoc. Editor of  "Neural Network World", several years from 1992 on
  • Assoc. Editor of  "Simulation News Europe, 1980-1990
  • Assoc. Editor of  "Syst. Analysis, Mod. & Sim.", 1982 - 1992
  • Assoc. Chief Editor of  "Advances in Simulation" (SCS Europe book series), 1994-1999
  • Assoc. Chief Editor of  "Frontiers in Simulation" (SCS Europe book series), several years from 1994 on

 VI   THESIS SUPERVISION / COACHING

  • PhD Theses:  TU-Delft: 5; University of Ghent: 2
  • MSc Theses:  TU-Delft: over 130;  University of Ghent: 2

 VII   (CO-)AUTHOR SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS and ORAL LECTURES

  • Journal articles/book contributions (57); website articles (2), conference papers (143)
  • Published abstracts (8)
  • Video (1)
  • (Co-)editing Conference Proceedings (14)
  • Unpublished scientific reports (45)
  • Oral lectures worldwide (Western and Eastern Europe, Canada, USA, China, Malaysia, Libya); over 160

 VIII   ACTIVITIES for PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES and WORKING GROUPS

1.   Activities related to “Eurosim”, the Federation of European Simulation Societies 

  • Co-founder and 1st secretary (1979-1991) of DBSS, the “Dutch Benelux Simulation Society” (a Member Society of Eurosim)
  • Continuous active involvement (1979-1989) in the collaboration of European Simulation Societies, finally resulting in the establishment of Eurosim (1989). His extensive paper “On the Way to a Federation of (regional) European Simulation  Societies / Prehistory of Eurosim (1979-1989)”  is published on the history page of Eurosim’s website and on the DBSS website as well.

 2.    Activities related to “SCS”, formerly "The Society for Computer Simulation", later renamed “The Society for Modeling &                   Simulation International", but keeping the acronym SCS; headquarters: San Diego 

  • Member of the SCS Board of Directors (1986-1998).
  • Member of the SCS Executive Board (1992-1994), in the position of “SCS Vice-President Europe”
  • Initiator and 1st chair (1990-1997) of the SCS “European Simulation Council” ESC (also called “SCS Europe”, but in 2004 renamed ECMS, the (independent) “European Council for Modelling and Simulation” 
  • Continuous involvement in the ECMS Board of Directors, from the beginning up to present. The last years in the position of “Historian”; as such, he is the author of “ECMS: its position in the European Simulation History”, a chapter in a book by Springer (2016) on the occasion of 30 years ECMS  ( (http://www.springer.com/us/book/97833193378)

3.   Activities related to EU-sponsored ESPRIT Working Groups

  • Vice-chair of EU-sponsored Esprit Basic Research Working Group SiE (Simulation in Europe), 1993-1996

IX   ACTIVITIES for INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCES

 1.   Activities for congresses of IMACS, Int. Association for Mathematics and Computers in Simulation

  • Secretary of 8th IMACS World Congress, Delft (the Netherlands), 1976
  • Co-Secretary of 9th IMACS World Congress, Sorrento (Italy), 1979

 2.    Activities for ESS Conferences, “European Simulation Symposium” under the auspices of SCS Europe 

  • General Chair or General Program Chair of the following conferences:  ESS1988 (Ostend, Belgium), ESS1990 (Ghent, Belgium), ESS1991 (Ghent, Belgium), ESS1993 (Delft, the Netherlands), ESS1996 (Genoa, Italy), ESS1998 (Nottingham, UK)

 3.    Activities for ECMS Conferences under the auspices of ECMS, the “European Council for Modelling and Simulation”  

  • Chair of ABS (Agent-based Simulation) Track of the following ECMS Conferences:  ECMS2005 (Riga, Latvia), ECMS2006 (Bonn, Germany), ECMS2007 (Prague, Czech Republic), ECMS2008 (Nicosia, Cyprus), ECMS2009 (Madrid, Spain), ECMS2010 (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), ECMS2011 (Krakow, Poland)
  • Honorary Chair of ECMS2010 (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), ECMS2011 (Krakow, Poland), and ECMS2014 (Brescia, Italy)
  • Chair of the “Best Paper Award Committee” of 5 ECMS Conferences

 4.    Activities for (Co-)Editing of Conference Proceedings (books containing full conference papers)

  • (Co-)Editor of 14 Conference Proceedings (all with ISBN number)

 X   HONORS and AWARDS

  • Excellent Research Award from Delft University of Technology, 1970
  • Fellow of SCS, The Society for Modeling & Simulation International (FSCS, since 1992)
  • Listed (since 1995) in the Marquis "Who’s is Who in the World”; listed (since 1996/1997) in the Marquis "Who’s is Who in Science and Engineering”
  • “Silver Pin of Honor” from Delft University of Technology, 1995
  • Distinguished Service Award from SCS, The Society for Modeling & Simulation International, 1997
  • Outstanding Contribution Award from ECMS, the European Council for Modelling and Simulation, 2011 and 2016
  • Officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau (a civil, i.e. non-military, Dutch royal decoration), Budapest 25th May 2017

XI   OTHER CURRENT MEMBERSHIPS

 XII   OTHER ACTIVITIES (of religious, spiritual, social nature)

 1.    Religious …… (Catholic Church in Scheveningen)

  • Choralist in the choir “Schola Cantorum” of former “Onze Lieve Vrouw van Lourdes” Parish in Scheveningen (The Hague, the Netherlands), 1976-1991; the last two years completely alone!
  • Secretary of Parish Council of former Lourdes Parish, 1991-1995
  • Member of Board of former Lourdes Parish, 1995-2000
  • Vice-chair of former “Personal Union” of the three Parishes “Onze Lieve Vrouw van Lourdes”, “ HH Martelaren van Gorcum” and “H  Antonius Abt” in Scheveningen (the Hague, the Netherlands), 2000-2003

 2.    Spiritual … . . . (Masonic Lodge “Groot Nederland” in The Hague)     

  • Secretary of Lodge “Groot Nederland” (2000-2004)
  •  Member of the “Investigation Committee” of Lodge “Groot Nederland” for approximately 5 years, of which 2 years as committee secretary. (This committee “investigates” candidates on masonic suitability)
  • “Coordinator Abroad” of Lodge “Groot Nederland” (2013-2015), organizing visits to and from sister Lodges in Hamburg (Germany) and Harwich (England)
  • Chair of the “Bouwhut Age”, a special working method in the Dutch masonry (2006-2016)
  • Over 25 spiritual lectures on “The notion of God and non-materialistic consciousness” in different Dutch Masonic Lodges. 

 3.    Social ……… (Old-Member Association “Sanctus Virgilius” in Delft)

  • More than 20 years “Co-Commissioner Year 1961”, maintaining contacts with classmates who have started their study in 1961; having organized special (40th, 50th, and 55th) reunions
  • Member of the Board of the “Old-Member Association” (2004-2008), in the function of "coordinator year commissioners"

XIII   HOBBIES

  • Visiting Operas and Concerts; formerly: singing, playing piano
  • Playing billiards
  • Formerly: walking, cycling