Why the Energy Transition needs interdisciplinary thinking

The Erasmus Centre for Energy Transition (ECET) was established in 2023 on the initiative of sixteen leading companies, which called on Erasmus University Rotterdam to play a greater role in the energy transition. Since then, ECET has grown into the leading university platform where education, research and social impact converge, with the ambition of putting South Holland and the Netherlands at the forefront of the global energy transition.

What gap did you see in how the energy transition was being taught at Erasmus University Rotterdam?

'We saw a clear gap in how the energy transition was being taught. Students often approached problems from one area, such as business, economics, data or policy, without always understanding how these areas fit together. We heard the same from industry: companies need graduates who can connect different perspectives and work across technical, economic, business, policy and social issues. The energy transition is inherently multidisciplinary, so we saw an opportunity for ECET to bring these perspectives together and prepare students for the complex challenges ahead.'

Students come to energy-transition courses with very different academic backgrounds and levels of technical knowledge. How do you approach this diversity and create a shared, interdisciplinary learning experience?

'It can be challenging, as students come with very different backgrounds and levels of technical knowledge. That is why I focus on making the courses conceptual, qualitative, and cross-disciplinary. The goal is not to turn students into energy engineers, but to give them enough understanding of the energy system to engage with its technical, economic, regulatory, and societal dimensions. Real-world cases and different perspectives help students see why energy-transition challenges cannot be solved from a single disciplinary perspective. The positive feedback from students also shows how much they value this broader, interdisciplinary approach.'

Beyond teaching, how has being involved with ECET influenced your own research and thinking?

'I think we are still at the beginning, but I can already see a tangible impact. The ECET Acceleration Fund, for example, has given me the opportunity to deepen my research, expand my knowledge, and explore directions that would have been more difficult to pursue otherwise. I also see significant potential in the broader environment ECET creates. Energy-transition research increasingly requires collaboration across disciplines, and ECET brings together different expertise, perspectives, and potential partners from inside and outside Erasmus University. This creates opportunities not only for research, but also for education and societal impact. The impact is already visible, but I think there is much more potential to come.'

What makes a centre like ECET valuable for Erasmus University Rotterdam, particularly when it comes to connecting expertise that already exists across the university? 

'Energy is too strategic to ignore, particularly at this stage of the transition. For EUR, there are significant opportunities to contribute through research, collaboration, societal impact, and funding. We already have expertise across business, economics, law, social sciences, data and AI, policy, and other fields. The challenge is that this knowledge is spread across the university, making collaboration across disciplines less natural. That is where I see the value of ECET. It connects researchers and makes EUR’s combined expertise more visible, while creating a hub through which the university can engage with industry, government, other universities, and society. In doing so, ECET can help turn the expertise already present at EUR into broader collaboration and impact.'

Looking ahead to Phase II, where do you see the greatest opportunities for ECET, and where would you personally like to contribute?

'In the next phase of ECET in the coming years, I would put a strong emphasis on research. EUR already has expertise across business, economics, law, social sciences, data and AI, and other disciplines. The opportunity now is to bring this expertise together around larger research questions and build stronger, more visible interdisciplinary research programmes. For me, this is where ECET can develop a distinctive position: bringing together EUR’s economic, managerial, and societal expertise with the technical knowledge of external partners to create research with broader impact.'