From 1 July 2026, prof. dr. Alan Hanjalic has been appointed Dean of the Faculty of Science by the Executive Board of Utrecht University (UU). He will also be appointed professor at UU. Currently, Hanjalic is professor of Computer Science and head of the Intelligent Systems department at TU Delft.
Prof. dr. Alan Hanjalic has over 25 years of experience in higher education, at the intersection of scientific innovation, academic education, and organizational development.
An eye for academic leadership
Hans Brug, President of the Executive Board, looks forward to Hanjalic’s arrival: “With Alan, our Faculty of Science will have a new Dean who sees academic leadership as a foundation for achieving impact in education, research, and society. He truly stands for connection and collaboration – within the faculty, with our other faculties, and with our wider community, from local to international. And I’ve already come to know Alan as a man with a sense of humour. I look forward to working together.”
Leading in academia and society
“I consider it a great honour to become Dean of this wonderful faculty,” says Hanjalic. “Transparency, approachability and connection are values I find important. They align well with how I have come to know Utrecht University so far. The Faculty of Science in Utrecht plays a leading role both academically and in society, and I look forward to contributing to that in my role as Dean.”
Alan Hanjalic succeeds Isabel Arends, who will become Director-General of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) per April 1st, 2026.
About Alan Hanjalic
Alan Hanjalic studied electrical engineering in Germany and earned his PhD in 1999 at Delft University of Technology. He contributed to the early development of video search technology, in particular content-based and affective video analysis, and in 2016 he was named an IEEE Fellow (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) for his work in this field. At TU Delft, he founded the Delft Multimedia Information Retrieval Lab, which later evolved into the Multimedia Computing section within the Department of Intelligent Systems. Under his coordination, the group played a leading role in national and European research programs and grew into a diverse team working on multimedia information retrieval, recommender systems, speech communication, and network data science.
Alan Hanjalic has been teaching and supervising students for more than twenty years and, as Chair of the Board of Studies for Computer Science, contributed to curriculum development. Since 2018, he has led the Department of Intelligent Systems, focusing on strategic growth, diversity, staff participation, and fostering an inclusive academic culture. Together with the Chair of the Software Technology Department, he guided the convergence of the two departments into a more cohesive Computer Science cluster with aligned governance and a shared mission and values.