Welcome new team members: Luisella and Femke!

This month we welcome two new team members in the CogniGron programme office: Luisella Kraak, management/office assistant, and Femke Boekhorst, communications advisor. Are you curious about what motivated them to join the CogniGron team? Or what they did before starting their CogniGron journey? We asked them all about it!

Welcome Luisella!

Luisella has a background in software engineering and is interested in the technical aspects of websites. In the course of her professional career, she obtained an Internet Advisor diploma, was an ergonomic analyst in a software company and in IT jobs at the research institute NSCR (Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement) and CWI. Additionally, she has had her own company in website development and maintenance, and she also studied psychology, specialising in information ergonomics.

"As my passion lies especially in helping other people, I decided to find a more communicative job. Therefore, I am enthusiastic to work in the MoA position at CogniGron. With my background in IT and being concerned about the worldwide energy consumption, I appreciate very much the aim of the institute to develop energy efficient computer chip technology and subsequent applications. It is especially intriguing how inspiration can be drawn from the workings of the human brain."

In her free time, she enjoys reading books, go for walks and runs. She used to be a football player and a coach, and she played the cello in an orchestra. Luisella is looking forward to helping all involved with practical issues to streamline their work at CogniGron. In doing so, she aims at getting more acquainted with the ins and outs of neuromorphic computing.

Welcome Femke!

She worked as a communications officer at the Kapteyn Astronomical Institute and at ASTRON, the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy, among others.

"At ASTRON, I was involved in communicating astronomical discoveries and technological innovations to different target audiences. When I came across the job for communications advisor at CogniGron, this seemed like a great opportunity to use my knowledge and skills to raise awareness of the institute. The innovative nature of research at CogniGron and the goal of making 10,000 times more energy-efficient computer chips possible, makes it an inspiring environment for me and an opportunity to do meaningful work."

Femke loves hiking, skiing, cycling and travelling with her family. She balances her active lifestyle with winding down with a book on the sofa or playing the piano.

She looks forward to getting to know the people of CogniGron and working together to give more visibility to the exciting work that's being done here and to make complex material accessible to different audiences.

You can find them on our CogniGron website to get in touch!