Management change at TNO-ESI
March 1, 2024
For already 22 years, TNO-ESI has been contributing to maintaining the leading competitive position of the Dutch high-tech industry through intensive collaboration between the high-tech industry and universities in the field of systems engineering. What is new is the ambition and focused effort on creating similar partnerships in other societal and industrial domains in which digitalization and system complexity are increasingly dominant. Wouter Leibbrandt, Director of science and operations at TNO-ESI until 1 January, is leading this expansion as Director TNO-Digital Systems, starting with systems engineering for the energy transition.
On 1 March, Masoud Dorosti will start as the Director of science and operations at TNO-ESI. His arrival completes the management team, which has been completely renewed in a short period of time and further consists of Jacco Wesselius and Ronald Begeer.
Dorosti joined TNO-ESI in 2022 as a program manager. With his background in the semiconductor industry and at ASML, Dorosti has affinity with the high-tech industry, which is the primary focus of TNO-ESI’s research. Dorosti will be responsible for the scientific and operational steering of TNO-ESI. He will also focus on strengthening the programs of TNO-ESI in collaboration with university partners. Wesselius will continue his role as Director of business and will focus on the programs and roadmaps implemented alongside partner companies. Begeer will focus mainly on the resource management of TNO-ESI’s team of 60 employees
Masoud Dorosti, Director Science and Operations TNO-ESI
ESI originated over 20 years ago as a public-private partnership focused on one of the key areas identified at the time: systems engineering, or embedded systems as it was then called. In 2013, a change in national policy prompted TNO to take up ESI as a department. TNO-ESI continues to be distinguished by its intensive collaboration with companies and universities in the form of long-term partnerships. The direction of research is determined together with partners and results are shared and validated among them. Other companies and organizations can make use of the knowledge gained, which is available open source in the form of methodologies and tools. The employees at TNO-ESI generally work four days of the week on-site at industrial partners; this working method is the foundation of the valued strength of TNO-ESI.
The Dutch high-tech industry is a leader in the development of complex systems. By integrating advanced technologies into systems, the value of technological innovation is transformed into ready-made market value. Systems engineering has therefore been identified as one of the Key Enabling Technologies.
Together with industrial and academic partners, TNO-ESI is investigating how the realization of such systems (systems engineering) can be done more efficiently and effectively. In doing so, the research program responds to three trends:
1. High-tech systems are becoming increasingly complex.
2. International competition is getting tougher.
3. There is a growing shortage of technicians.
The combination of these three trends calls for innovative systems engineering methodologies that match the requirements of the high-tech industry. By developing and validating methodologies together with industrial partners, TNO-ESI is making a crucial contribution to strengthening the competitive position of the Dutch high-tech industry.