TU Delft teacher Miriam Blaauboer wins national election for Educator of the Year

The jury praised Blaauboer for her ability to explain complex subjects in an accessible and enthusiastic way. “The teacher’s approach really benefits students. She knows how to link current developments in education to her lectures, and this makes all the difference.”

Last year Blaauboer had already been elected as TU Delft’s Educator of the Year 2024. This meant that, 15 years into teaching Applied Physics, she was automatically in the running for the national elections.

Disarming friendliness

The Faculty describes her teaching style as follows: ‘Miriam stands out as a teacher for her very clear explanations, her shining enthusiasm, her empathy towards students, and her disarming friendliness.’

In the press release, ISO Chair Mylou Miché says: ‘Inspirational teachers make the difference. These elections give them the stage that they deserve.’ The award ceremony (in Dutch) was held at Theater de KOM in Nieuwegein.

Minister of Education Eppo Bruins attended the elections, and expressed his appreciation in the press release. ‘Good teachers are the backbone of our education system. Thanks to teachers like Miriam Blaauboer, we can continue believing in the power of education in progress and making connections.’

Comenius Network

Apart from being elected as Educator of the Year, being awarded a trophy and receiving a grant of EUR 25,000, Blaauboer is also entitled to an honorary seat on the Board of the Comenius Network. This is a network for education pioneers in higher professional education and university education. The other finalists – Farid Boussaid (Free University of Amsterdam), Menno Otten (Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences for the Arts), and Anna Posthumus-de Breij (University of Applied Sciences Leiden) – also have seats.

Blaauboer takes over the title from last year’s winner, Peter Pelzer of Utrecht University, who has transferred to TU Delft in the meantime. The last time that a teacher at TU Delft won this award was in 2019. It was then  Aerospace Engineering teacher Calvin Rans.