Den Ouden joined NLR in September 2021 as an R&D Engineer. Within Defence Operations (part of the division Aerospace Systems), he initially worked on signal processing and analyses of the disruption and manipulation of electromagnetic signals. He was also responsible for knowledge development on emerging technologies (such as AI).
Since he started at NLR, the urgency from the defence side is greater than ever, says Den Ouden. “The demand for our expertise is constantly increasing, from operational analysis to the systematic development of knowledge. For the Aerospace Systems division, the challenge is to move that knowledge ever faster and more effectively into concrete applications and products, together with our partners in government and industry.”
“That requires us to remain adaptive, to keep innovating and to continue to deliver, while at the same time strengthening the knowledge base that sets us apart. It is precisely in connecting disciplines and technologies that we as a division can make an even greater difference. Our strength lies in integration; bringing together knowledge and innovation for dual-use applications, with impact for both defence and for civil aerospace.”
“My ambition is to connect people, expertise and collaboration, so that together we develop solutions that are relevant today and prepare us for the challenges of tomorrow. Now is the time for Aerospace Systems to make a lasting impact.”
Since March 2024, Den Ouden has been working as Team Leader within the Defence Operations department. He has developed himself very quickly and broadly over the past few years. The management therefore has every confidence that he will make a valuable contribution to making the Aerospace Structure division future-proof and to our organisation as a member of the Management Team.
Before joining NLR, Den Ouden worked at the R&D department Seismology and Acoustics at the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI). This was a shared position with his part-time PhD at the TU Delft, where he obtained his PhD in 2022. At the KNMI, he conducted research into the origin, propagation, and detection of inaudible sound (infrasound).
Mark van Venrooij steps down after having been division manager for ten years. He is going to apply his knowledge and experience in the defence domain more intensively as strategic advisor defence.
