Ecsite extends its heartfelt gratitude to Amito Haarhuis, Director of Rijksmuseum Boerhaave, for his dedicated service to science engagement and his invaluable contributions to our community.

Amito has served on the Ecsite Board for the past six years - including his tenure as Treasurer since 2023 - completing the maximum number of terms with dedication and expertise. In addition to this, he was apart of the Annual Conference Programming Committee (ACPC) from 2014 - 2019. We thank him for his commitment to and leadership within our community.

A longstanding pillar of the European science engagement community, Amito has made a lasting impact over more than a decade at NEMO — where he spent five years as a Director — and nearly seven years at Rijksmuseum Boerhaave. His dedication to science communication has also extended to journalism, with regularly published articles in De Telegraaf, championing public engagement with science both in the Netherlands and across Europe.

Though Amito is stepping away from the science engagement field, he will remain close to the museum sector as he takes up the role of Director at the Netherlands Open Air Museum on 1 March. We have no doubt that his leadership will bring great success to his new organisation, and we look forward to seeing the impact he will make in the cultural and ethnographic museum sector.

Once again, we sincerely thank Amito for his years of service and wish him all the best in this new chapter.