The number of big earners in higher education has fallen sharply in recent years. In 2016, 112 professors, deans and directors received a top income, but by 2024 that number had fallen to just 39. At TU Delft, the number fell from 11 to 3 during the same period, all of whom were full professors.

As the death toll from the protests in Iran continues to rise, Iranian TU students and staff are unable to contact their loved ones in their home country, or can only do so with great difficulty. “The last I heard from my niece is that she went out onto the streets to demonstrate.”