Hester Bijl
Hester Bijl is a Dutch mathematician and university leader. Since January 15, 2026, she is the rector magnificus, the top president, of Delft University of Technology. From 2021 to 2026 she was the rector magnificus of Leiden University, and in 2024 she was reappointed, making her the first woman to hold the post there. She earned a PhD from Delft University of Technology and a master’s degree from Leiden University. She began working at Delft in 1999 in the aerodynamics department and became dean of the faculty of aerospace engineering in 2013. Bijl later moved to Leiden University as rector magnificus, succeeding Carel Stolker. She serves on the supervisory board of the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research and on the board of Leiden Bio Science Park, and she has been a visiting researcher at NASA Langley Research Center.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 05:24 (CET).