‘There were three things I wanted to change’, says Koen Verhoeff in a recent interview. ‘When I took over as director, the atmosphere at the Laboratory struck me as… how shall I put it…’. He pauses thoughtfully, and then says, nodding, ‘quiet.’ Folding his hands, he explains, ‘After the lively surroundings of Naaldwijk Research Station and the Institute of Phytopathological Research in Wageningen, that took me by surprise. There were not many students in Baarn to inject life into the place. I was also startled to find that most people here went home for lunch. In America, I had been used to lunch breaks being used for friendly exchanges and consultations.’ So the first thing to be done was to attract more students.

‘I also felt that we needed to lobby for extra resources, especially from zwo [the Netherlands Organization for the Advancement of Pure Research; now nwo].’ After his index finger, Verhoeff now extends his middle finger. ‘We could scarcely expect the universities to allocate any extra staff. And thirdly,’ grasping his ring finger, ‘we needed to encourage internal cooperation. That has a deepening effect on the research and improves your position when you’re applying for external resources. Under Kerling the work had become fragmented, with everyone doing his own thing. That's not right; in science you have to work together, otherwise you don't achieve much.’

He stares ahead a little gloomily. ‘There was a permanent staff of eight plus one vacancy. My aim was to have three project groups, each with three permanent members of staff. And I wanted each member of staff to have a personal laboratory technician. But that was too ambitious; I never managed to get that far.’

Koen Verhoeff took over officially as professor-director of the Phytopathology Laboratory on 16 October 1970. Kerling had relinquished her responsibilities a few weeks earlier, on 1 September, and Bob Schippers had been standing in. Un the nomination of a new director or professor had been a professorial prerogative. Board members sounded each other out about suitable candidates, occasionally seeking recommendations from former students or staff members, and eventually nominated a candidate.