Hoe combineer je een voltijds professoraat met een kroostrijk gezin: een persoonlijk getuigenis Door Sabine Van Huffel ESAT-SCD-SISTA K.U.Leuven

AV VAP werkgroep Vrouw & Universiteit, 18 maart, 2003 Overview u Career evolution u Research evolution u Family life evolution u How to combine? u Conclusions

AV VAP werkgroep Vrouw & Universiteit, 18 maart, 2003 Career evolution u June 1981: Master of Engineering in Computer science (KU Leuven) u 8/81->12/81: scientific collaborator at gastro-enterology, UZ Leuven u 9/81->3/83: assistant at medical informatics, UZ Leuven u 4/83->9/87: assistant at Electrical Engineering, KU Leuven u June 1985: Master in Biomedical Engineering (KU Leuven) u June 1987: PhD in Applied science (PhD thesis on total least squares) u 10/87->9/91: postdoctoral researcher of the Belgian F.W.O. u 10/91->9/99: ``onderzoeksleider’’ of the Belgian F.W.O. + 10/93->9/95: ``deeltijds docent’’ at KU Leuven + 10/95->9/98: ``deeltijds hoofddocent’’ at KUL + 10/98->9/00: ``deeltijds hoogleraar’’ at KU Leuven u 10/99->9/00: ``onderzoeksdirecteur’’ of the Belgian F.W.O. u 10/00->9/02: ``voltijds hoogleraar’’ at KU Leuven u From 10/02 on: ``voltijds gewoon hoogleraar’’ at KU Leuven

AV VAP werkgroep Vrouw & Universiteit, 18 maart, 2003 Overview u Career evolution u Research evolution u Family life evolution u How to combine? u Conclusions

AV VAP werkgroep Vrouw & Universiteit, 18 maart, 2003 Research evolution MAIN MOTIVATION when starting Engineering studies: Apply my engineering knowledge and expertise to Biomedicine in order to improve quality of life (in particular medical diagnostics) EVOLUTION: u Master thesis (’81): optimisation of radiation planning in radiotherapy u Pre-PhD period (’81-’83): assistant at gastro-enterology and Medical informatics u PhD period (’83-’87): research on total least squares (including medical applications in renography) u Postdoc and F.W.O. research associate period (’87-’99): total least squares extensions and biomedical signal processing for NMR and Near-Infrared Spectroscopy u KU Leuven professorship (’99-’02): Algorithms for biomedical signal processing and biomedical pattern recognition, extension to 10 case studies

AV VAP werkgroep Vrouw & Universiteit, 18 maart, 2003 Total Least Squares Total Least Squares

HOW?: preprocessing --> modeling --> parameter estimation --> validation --> GUI TOPICS: in collaboration with UZ Leuven Renogram deconvolution: structured TLS, displacement rank Fetal ECG extraction: generalized SVD, Independent Component Analysis MR Spectroscopic quantitation: TLS, FIR filter, nonlinear LS fitting Near-Infrared Spectroscopy: weighted TLS, PCA, CCA, constrained LS Polysomnography: multichannel SVD based rank reduction & TLS LP modeling Preoperative cancer diagnosis: neural & Bayesian networks (MLP) + Osseoperception, brain tumor recognition, …. Present Research in Biomedical Data Processing

AV VAP werkgroep Vrouw & Universiteit, 18 maart, 2003 Research evolution (contd.) COURSES: 1. Propaedeutic course in Calculus and Statistics (since October 1993) 2. Errors-in-Variables modeling and Applications (since October 1993) 3. Biomedical Data Processing (since October 2002) 4. Evolutions in Medical Technology (since October 2002) MAJOR BREAKTHROUGHS u Publication of successful book on total least squares: S. VAN HUFFEL and J. VANDEWALLE, The total least squares problem : computational aspects and analysis, SIAM, Philadelphia, 1991 u Guest professor at Dept. of Computer Sciences, Stanford University, U.S.A., Oct.- Nov (7 weeks), where I gave a graduate Fall quarter Course, entitled: ``Numerical methods in Biomathematics’’

AV VAP werkgroep Vrouw & Universiteit, 18 maart, 2003 Overview u Career evolution u Research evolution u Family life evolution u How to combine? u Conclusions

AV VAP werkgroep Vrouw & Universiteit, 18 maart, 2003 Family Life evolution u July 1984: Marriage u November 15, 1986: Eva is born u April 4, 1988: Adriaan is born u September 4, 1989: Liesbeth is born u April 28, 1990: Adriaan died u April 1990->March 1991: building a new house & move on March 25, 1991 u August 19, 1991: Kwinten is born u September 4, 1993: Astrid is born u March 30, 1995: Soetkin is born

AV VAP werkgroep Vrouw & Universiteit, 18 maart, 2003 Family photo Christmas 2001

AV VAP werkgroep Vrouw & Universiteit, 18 maart, 2003 Overview u Career evolution u Research evolution u Family life evolution u How to combine? u Conclusions

AV VAP werkgroep Vrouw & Universiteit, 18 maart, 2003 How to combine? MAIN MOTIVATION Apply my engineering knowledge and expertise to Biomedicine in order to improve quality of life (in particular medical diagnostics) OPPORTUNITIES u Excellent day-care facilities for children 0-3 years at KU Leuven u Excellent child-care during vacation time for children 3-6 years at KU Leuven u Support from partner: took 6 months of ``sabbatical leave’’ during Stanford stay always encouraged me to continue my career full time u Availability of house personnel for cleaning, gardening, child-care u ``Working parents’’ friendly school: good child-care after school hours u Living at walking distance from University and school ORGANISATIONAL CHALLENGES IN THE PAST November 15, 1986: Eva is born Nov. 1, 1986: Draft PhD thesis finished September 4, 1989: Liesbeth is born Sept.1, 1989: draft of SIAM book ready August 19, 1991: Kwinten is born August 12-15, 1991: 1 st TLS workshop Six periods of maternity leave Continue guidance M.Eng. theses at home

AV VAP werkgroep Vrouw & Universiteit, 18 maart, 2003 How to combine? (contd.) ORGANISATIONAL CHALLENGES AT PRESENT u Supervision of 13 PhD students, 3 postdocs, 4 MD students u Weekly time schedule (one week=168 hours): Professorship: hours (competitive environment!) Family life duties: 50 hours Sleep: 46 hours (6 hours/night on average) Free Time: 0-5 hours!!! u Supervision of school duties and educational challenges (puberty) u Organisation ``post school’’ activities of children (school year /vacation)

AV VAP werkgroep Vrouw & Universiteit, 18 maart, 2003 Overview u Career evolution u Research evolution u Family life evolution u How to combine? u Conclusions

AV VAP werkgroep Vrouw & Universiteit, 18 maart, 2003 Conclusions HINTS u Be extremely efficient, persistent and disciplinary!! Optimal time management: plan weekly each minute delegate tasks (work/home) shopping only once a week Organisational skills: doing tasks in parallel Attract house personnel u Find a partner who provides support and assistance u Learn children to be independent and bear responsibility u Be very healthy and don’t need a lot of sleep u Work in a large and rich research group! important for attracting financial support important for learning the keys to build up a career u Discover sense of life and life mission in your job u Enjoy life while working hard

AV VAP werkgroep Vrouw & Universiteit, 18 maart, 2003 Conclusions (contd.) Typische DAGINDELING in de week: nu nog vol te houden … maar hoelang? 7h-8h15: opstaan, ontbijt, kinderen klaarmaken en naar school brengen 8h15-18h15: academisch werk 18h15-21h30: huishouden, schooltaken nakijken, rondrijden, …. 21h30-1h… : academisch werk Enkele BEDENKINGEN: u Dergelijke loopbaan niet attractief voor jongeren (vooral vrouwen),ook naar eigen kinderen toe u Deeltijds werken biedt geen oplossing: geen verantwoordeljkheid meer, een halftijdse job impliceert nog steeds uren werken! u Bovendien blijft de werkdruk nog meer stijgen (cfr. voordracht Prof. De Brock): een prof moet excellent onderzoek doen maar ook excellent onderwijs, dienstverlening voor maatschappij en faculteit, en ondernemend zijn (spinoff) u De administratieve last stijgt meer en meer (diensten onderbestaft): demotiveert! Protest rijst meer en meer op (vrije tribune Campuskrant 3/03) u Studenten mogen niet meer dan 1800 uren per jaar belast worden: maar wie beschermt de prof wiens belasting geen grenzen kent??? Is een werkweek van 80 uren binnenkort de norm?

AV VAP werkgroep Vrouw & Universiteit, 18 maart, 2003 Conclusions (contd.) Wie biedt soelaas? u Alle hoop gericht op het GELIJKE KANSEN BELEID: prioriteit aan acties om de werkdruk te verlagen u Andere suggesties? TEVREDEN WERKNEMERS WERKEN BETER