Dear MCEC Member,
In our latest MCEC Newsletter you can read about:
MCEC is more than a research center: amongst other things, it aims to train its PhDs in reaching out to the public, by explaining complex research content to a general audience (from secondary school students to retirees with an interest in the matter, and anyone beyond and inbetween). PhDs who would like to practice their communication skills can do so by joining the team of authors and vloggers behind MCEC-matters.com, or gain experience as a teacher by giving guest lectures.
Over the last two years, several MCEC PhDs have voluntarily contributed to the success of MCEC as a research center that not only crosses the frontiers of three universities and disciplines, but also reaches out from academia to society. We thought it high time to acknowledge their efforts.
First in line were Hai Le-The (UT), Anne-Eva Nieuwelink (UU), Álvaro Moreno Soto (UT) and Robin Geitenbeek (UU).
We sincerely thank you for your great work and we hope to see and read a lot from you in the future!
8 May 2018
Emiel Hensen has been admitted as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). The Fellow status is awarded to individuals who have “made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of the chemical sciences; or to the advancement of the chemical sciences as a profession; or have been distinguished in the management of a chemical sciences organization.
Our sincere wishes on this great assignment!
*
4 May 2018
Petra Keijzer (UU) is this year’s winner of the MCEC Poster Prize, awarded at the Annual Meeting. Her poster, titled Fundamental study on the synthesis of supported silver catalysts using melt infiltration, was chosen by the poster prize committee: Sander Huisman (UT), Jan Philipp Hofmann (TU/e), and Jovana Zečević UU).
An interview with Petra can be found here: Petra Keijzer Poster Prize Winner 2018
The MCEC Annual Meeting 2018 was held in The Gallery, Enschede. The programme consisted of lectures by tenure trackers Sander Huisman and Freddy Rabouw (UU), and an invited evening lecture by Barry Fitzgerald (TU Delft) on The Secrets of Superhero Science.
Throughout the two-day meeting, 20-minute presentations on the progress of their scientific work were held by fourteen of our PhDs/PDs and another twenty-three PhDs presented a poster. The Annual Meeting was also a good moment to introduce four new PhDs Alejo Aguirre, Vamsi Spardan Arza, Maarten Bransen and Valerii Muravev.
The organization would like to thank all participants for their attendance and contribution.
4-5 April, 2018
The Dutch Polymer Institute (DPI) in its DPI 2.0 Call for Proposals has granted Bert Weckhuysen, Florian Meirer and Elena Groppo (University of Turin) a joint research program entitled Multi-scale investigation of silica-supported ethylene polymerization catalysts during the early stages of the reaction.
The project aims to research polymerization catalysts in the early stages of the genesis of active sites and polymer formation by a multi-scale characterization approach under reaction conditions. The goal is to link the macroscopic physical and chemical properties with nanoscopic chemical properties.
4 April, 2018
The Alliance Fund between Utrecht University and Eindhoven University of Technology has awarded Bert Weckhuysen and Emiel Hensen 2 M euros for setting up a Virtual Research Institute (VRI) that integrates relevant expertise of both institutes.
The VRI has the ambition to become a leading institute in the field of energy technologies relevant to a fossil-free, low-carbon society. The focus will be on the further development of electrochemical energy conversion processes, with two interlinked research lines, namely inorganic electrochemistry and biomass-based electrochemistry. The VRI plans to strengthen the local MSc education programmes by offering a ‘Chemergy’ specialisation programme.
4 April, 2018
Volker Hessel (TU/e) has been appointed to the role of Deputy Dean Research and Level E academic in the School of Chemical Engineering at the University of Adelaide, Australia.
Read the full press release here.
18 March, 2018
Due to the measures against the spread of coronavirus in the Netherlands, the MCEC Annual meeting on 8-9 April will not take place. We are looking to organize an online substitute event on Thursday morning April 9.
Preliminary program:
10:00 Session 1
11:00 Break (Posters)
11:30 Session 2
12:30 End of meeting
If you wish to participate, please register using the form below and we will contact you with further details. We expect every participant to give a short presentation and to upload a poster.
We’re aware that the current situation is inconvenient for preparing posters/presentations. Therefor, this will not be a mandatory MCEC event, but please join us if you can. See it as an opportunity to present your research to the other MCEC PhD’s.
We are still looking into the different formats that are available to present and discuss posters online. All registrants will be informed shortly.
Pieter Bruijnincx has been appointed to the post of Professor of Sustainable Chemistry and Catalysis at the Department of Chemistry (Utrecht University). This new Chair will bridge research into homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis for turning renewable feedstock, such as biomass, CO2 and waste streams into chemical building blocks. MCEC would like to congratulate Bruijnincx on his appointment!
Read more on the website of Utrecht University >
14 March 2018
MCEC has been granted a Cofund grant by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Cofund program; a grant from the European Research Council which is designed to stimulate excellence in researchers’ training, mobility and career development.
Students can obtain a joint PhD degree from two of MCEC’s participating universities.The grant, with a value of 1.7 million euros, will be deployed to attract and involve more international students to and in our research center.
Read the press release by Utrecht University here.
15 March 2018
