Prof. Hans Kuipers has been appointed as one of the sixteen new members of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW). Membership of the KNAW is regarded as a great honor in a scientist’s career, and is reserved for excellent scientists in the Netherlands.
Together with the other new KNAW members, Kuipers will be installed on Monday 28 September 2015 in the Trippenhuis of the KNAW.
Soft Matter and Biophysical Chemistry Award 2015 Winner
Nico Sommerdijk has been awarded for his seminal contributions towards a mechanistic molecular-scale understanding of macromolecular assembly and biomineral formation.
Albert van den Berg continues his research on migraine in collaboration with Marten Scheffer (Wageningen University) and Michel Farrari (LUMC).
Chemicus prof. Bert Weckhuysen (46) heeft een koninklijke onderscheiding tot Ridder in de Orde van de Nederlandse Leeuw ontvangen. Weckhuysen behoort tot de internationale top van zijn vakgebied en onderscheidt zich bovendien door zijn grote inzet voor de toepassing van zijn onderzoek voor een duurzame samenleving. Daarnaast draagt hij met zijn leiderschap binnen en buiten de universiteit op hoog niveau bij aan de innovatie- en onderzoeksstrategie van de Nederlandse chemie.
Utrecht chemists discover that the catalyst responsible for the production of petrol ‘dies’ like a rotting apple
Nature Communication article on Catalytic Biomass Conversion
The group of Bert Weckhuysen and Pieter Bruijnincx has managed, together with colleagues in UK and in the US, to speed up the processing of biomass into a variety of valuable renewable products such as plastics and fuels. The key is a newly developed reusable catalyst: a compound that both supports and controls the reaction.
This results in a greater yield of valuable chemical building blocks from biomass but also in fewer by-products and less waste. The researchers have already applied for a patent for their invention. The research was carried out as part of the public-private partnership CatchBio, which conducts research on clean ways of processing non-edible biomass. The results will appear this week in the scientific journal Nature Communications.
We are looking for candidates for the position Assistant Professor: Multiscale Science on Heterogeneous Catalysis at the Utrecht University. Read more
The opening kick-off symposium of the MCEC programme was held on November 5 2014 at the Winkel van Sinkel (Utrecht). It was a great success with more than 100 guests present!
After the opening speech of Prof. Bert van der Zwaan (Rector Magnificus, Utrecht University) Scientific Director Prof. Bert Weckhuysen (Utrecht University) introduced MCEC in a nutshell to all the guests. The short introduction movie about MCEC gave the audience an idea about why this program is so unique in terms of a multiscale approach to catalysis and how MCEC aims to solve the global challenge of sustainable energy conversion. This so-called Gravitation Program is a 10-years research program, directly funded by the ministry OCW, that stimulates fundamental research in the area of catalysis. It is a unique opportunity for the partners Utrecht University, Eindhoven University of Technology and University of Twente to establish a long-term collaboration.
Invited speakers Dr. Pieter Bruijnincx Utrecht University), Dr. Rosa Bulo (Utrecht University), Prof. Rob Lammertink (University of Twente) and Dr. Niels Deen (Eindhoven University of Technology) have told about their contribution to the program and how they plan to work together on scientific problems with other MCEC colleagues. That inspired the discussions during the reception and at the diner. On the second day of the kick-off symposium the project clusters and the different research projects were discussed. The discussions were led by two assigned MCEC members.
The day was closed with a presentation of the Chair of the MCEC Education Committee Prof. Hans Kuipers ((Eindhoven University of Technology), and ended in a discussion about new ideas for the upcoming MCEC summer school and other MCEC community activities. Read more news on the website of Utrecht University and University of Twente.
Multiscale Catalytic Energy Conversion (MCEC) is a new consortium bringing together chemists, physicists and engineers from Eindhoven University of Technology, University of Twente, and Utrecht University, working together on sustainable and innovative solutions in the field of energy. The main goal of MCEC is to develop highly efficient chemical processes for sustainable energy production as well as new functional materials by using fossil, biomass and solar resources. Catalysis plays a central role in the research approach.
This long-term research programme (so called NWO Gravitation Programme) is directly funded by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW).
