Hester Bijl

Hester Bijl
Rector Magnificus of Leiden University
Preceded by	Carel Stolker

Hester Bijl is a Dutch mathematician, professor, and the rector magnificus of Leiden University. She is also Professor of Numerical Mathematics at the Mathematical Institute at Leiden University.

In July 2025, it was announced that she would become the rector magnificus of Delft University of Technology, starting January 15 2026.

Life and career

Bijl received a PhD from the Delft University of Technology, along with a master's degree from Leiden University.

In 1999, she started working the Delft University of Technology in the aerodynamics department. In 2013, she became dean of the faculty of aerospace engineering at the Delft University of Technology. In 2021, Bijl was appointed rector magnificus of Leiden University, succeeding Carel Stolker. In 2024, she was reappointed. She is the first female rector of the university.

Bijl is on the supervisory board of the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research and on the board of the Leiden Bio Science Park. She has been a visiting researcher at the NASA Langley Research Center.