Professor Hendrik Voll will continue as TalTech's Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs and Professor Maarja Kruusmaa will start her term of office as Vice-Rector for Research in the composition of the new Rector's Office starting its work on 1 September.
Tiit Land said, "I made my decision on the principle that the Rector's Office should include people covering different areas of competence and that gender balance would be ensured; the Rector's Office should also work together as one team. I have introduced the candidacies of Maarja Kruusmaa and Hendrik Volli to the University Board and received the Board's approval. The final composition of the Rector's Office will be announced in August."
Maarja Kruusmaa is an esteemed computer engineer, who has established an internationally recognised TalTech Centre for Biorobotics. Maarja Kruusmaa's fields of research include robotics, biorobotics, artificial muscles, electroactive polymers, underwater robotics, robot learning, AI safety, current perception and fluid dynamics experiments. She is a member of the editorial boards of several research organizations and journals and has been Vice-Dean of TalTech School of Information Technologies. Kruusmaa has published over a hundred scientific articles and is the owner of 9 patentable inventions. Kruusmaa has supervised 13 PhD students and 3 master's students. She has defended her Ph.D. in Chalmers University of Technology and has been awarded the Estonian National Science Prize and the Order of the White Star, 4th class. Kruusmaa is the founder of the international robotics competition Robotex and this spring a web-based environment ReaalAbi to help school students in their science homework was created on her initiative.
Hendrik Voll has been TalTech Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs since July 2017. In the same year he became a member of the Estonian Young Academy of Sciences. Hendrik Voll has also defended his Ph.D. in Chalmers University of Technology. He has received several awards: the construction company Merko Researcher Award, Estonian Science Communication Award, Tallinn University of Technology Junior Researcher of the Year Award, Heinrich Laul scholarship. His fields of research include energy simulations and indoor climate of buildings. He has published more than 60 scientific publications and has supervised two PhD students and 23 master's students.
Tiit Land was elected the new Rector of TalTech on 18 May and his term of office will start on 1 September 2020.