ODISSEI Management Board member Ruurd Schoonhoven (Senior Account Manager, Statistics Netherlands (CBS)) is retiring and will leave ODISSEI after years of exceptional and active involvement. Ruurd stood out because of his dedication to ODISSEI and his diligent and considerate attitude. He has been made an honorary ODISSEI-member due to his exceptional achievements. 

Ruurd played a major role in the founding of ODISSEI. Since 2015, he has contributed to establishing the national infrastructure for the social sciences and economics with great effort. He did so first through his involvement in the National Data-infrastructure for the Social Sciences (NDSW), the precursor of ODISSEI. In 2018, he became a member of the ODISSEI Management Board. As Board Member, he contributed significantly to the development of the Roadmap proposal, which NWO awarded with a large grant in 2020. 

Ruurd also played a crucial role in the development of the ODISSEI Secure Supercomputer (OSSC). For years researchers have been able to, under strict conditions, analyse CBS microdata in the Remote Access Environment of CBS. The OSSC provides researchers with much more computing power, which allows for larger scale analyses of CBS microdata. Central to the development of the OSSC was the compliance with strict safety requirements for privacy protection. Ruurd’s efforts were essential in creating, building, and eventually using the OSSC. 

Ruurd has put in much work in making CBS microdata more widely known to researchers, such as through his important contributions at joint CBS and ODISSEI events. Such events attracted many early-career researchers, who had not worked with microdata before, and motivated many more researchers to start using CBS microdata the Remote Access Environment. 

Ruurd is succeeded by Annette Scherpenzeel, Head of Microdata Services at CBS, in the ODISSEI Management Board.