Academia - Professor

Friday 11 Oct 2024, 09:00 - 17:00, Campus Woudestein

What can universities do to enable a just and sustainable society?

We are very happy to announce that we will finally welcome higher education institutions and organizations from across The Netherlands on the 11th of October 2024 at Erasmus University Rotterdam. Together, we’ll reimagine the role of universities in shaping a just and sustainable society and foster a collaborative movement within Dutch academia. Regardless of our fields of study or research, the desire to leave behind a thriving planet for future generations unites us all. 

The EUR Sustainability Summit 2024 invites students and staff from the EUR community, as well as peers from other higher education institutions across the Netherlands, to come together, share insights, and collectively devise common strategies. 

More information and sign up: https://www.eur.nl/en/events/eur-sustainability-summit-2024-2024-10-11.

Iridescent bacteria even found in deep ocean

Some bacteria form colonies that display striking, reflective colours. New genetic insights into the formation of such colours allowed an interdisciplinary, international team of researchers to identify the environments and bacterial groups in which these colours are found. Doing so, the team has made a start in understanding the function of these colours in bacteria. The findings, which were published yesterday in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), might have implications for the development of new innovative materials that use bacteria to replace non-sustainable dyes.

The striking, vibrant colours that we know from butterfly wings and peacock feathers are not the result of dyes or pigments. Instead, they are created by tiny, ordered structures that interact with light, creating a vibrant display of hues that is often perceived as iridescence (changes in colours depending on the angle of view or illumination). Such ‘structural colour’ is widespread in nature, and also exist in bacteria.

"The new fundamental insights in structural colour in bacteria might serve as the foundation for the future development of innovative materials." - Colin Ingham, founder of biotech company Hoekmine BV and initiator of the study

Continue reading about this research at the UU Science website.

Image: Colin Ingham, Hoekmine BV.

Flourish, share and shape your world

Create new possibilities for yourself, your colleagues and society as a whole. Using modern technology and science to drive innovation, change and progress. That’s what it means to work at the University of Twente.

The University of Twente brings people and technology together in the best possible ways. Whoever you are and whatever your talents, ambitions and personal interests are, at UT, we aim to appreciate you, challenge you, and encourage you to flourish.

Join our 'High Tech Human Touch' university. Discover our University of Twente as employer.

Working in science at Radboud University

A world from which we demand more and more requires people who can make a contribution. Critical thinkers who will take a closer look at what is really important. People who wish to work together with their colleagues and with experts from other disciplines, in an open and safe environment where creativity and initiative are valued. Our modern, sustainable campus is compact and our work environment is informal. This means that your colleagues are all within easy reach, both literally and figuratively. And our facilities offer you the scope to put your ideas to the test and push your boundaries.

"Because of the interesting research, the constant innovation and friendly atmosphere, I’m excited to progress in this unique environment." Nikhil Seeja Sivakumar - PhD candidate at the Scanning Probe Microscopy department

Impact through research

What is good research to you? For us, this means discovering, digging, collaborating, discussing and inspiring. You can judge us by our world-renowned research facilities and institutes such as the HFML-FELIX or the Donders Institute. But why not simply judge us by our science? By the knowledge we acquire through interdisciplinary collaboration and by the impact this has on humans and the world.

Find out more about working in science (our research, testimonials, doing a PhD) at Radboud University.

How do we ensure that we can reuse plastic packaging material? Or how can dyes in PET bottles be reused and contribute to making plastics circular? Two research projects within the Inorganic Chemistry & Catalysis Group at Utrecht University will start within the Making plastics circular: technical innovations programme, which is part of the National Growth Fund programme Circular Plastics NL. Six million euros were divided over ten projects in total, and all studies will last five years.

Currently, 15 percent of the one million tonnes of discarded plastics produced annually in the Netherlands are recycled at high quality. The goal is for all plastics to be recycled by 2030 and production to be fully circular by 2050. With the National Growth Fund programme Circular Plastics NL, the Dutch government is investing in bottlenecks to close the cycles for existing plastics, provide sustainable growth opportunities for the Dutch economy and use subsidies to accelerate the transition.

Read more about the Utrecht University projects that have received funding via this UU-webpage.

A wide range of urban stakeholders are collaborating on experiments, living labs, testbeds, innovation districts, and projects to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. These activities are intended to produce new insights on how we can reinvent cities to be environmentally resilient, economically prosperous, and socially vibrant places. However, it is not clear how we can learn effectively from these activities and how they can be used to catalyse broader societal transformations. 

Please join us on 10 September at The Hague Conference Centre New Babylon for an engaging discussion with practitioners and researchers about the opportunities and challenges of learning in urban sustainability transformations. The event will provide an opportunity to reflect on how we are developing and supporting learning practices in our current work and how these practices can be improved to realise deep and long-term impacts. The event will include a brief introduction, keynote talks, and a roundtable discussion, followed by a networking reception with food and drinks.

For schedule and registration, go to this EUR-webpage.

The DRIVE-RM consortium, led by Professor of Experimental Nephrology Marianne Verhaar from UMC Utrecht, has been awarded €37.5 million under the prestigious NWO SUMMIT program. The SUMMIT grant recognizes world-class collaborations, while further strengthening these partnerships. The DRIVE-RM collaboration involves UMC Utrecht, Utrecht University, Eindhoven University of Technology, Maastricht University, and the Hubrecht Institute, focusing on smart materials that assist the body in healing. Within Utrecht University, the faculties of Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, and Science are involved.

"It is wonderful for Utrecht Life Science research that we are receiving this recognition and funding", says Prof. Jos Malda from Utrecht University and UMC Utrecht.

Regenerative medicine involves repairing or replacing damaged tissues and organs by leveraging the body's own healing processes. DRIVE-RM specifically focuses on material-driven regeneration, using intelligent, lifelike, or even living materials that can prompt the human body to generate new tissue. This approach could radically change the treatment of chronic diseases such as kidney failure, heart failure, and worn joints in the future.

Read full article about this collaborative consortium and the recognition as world leaders, bringing together techniques and disciplines.

Together we discover the healthcare of tomorrow

“Working as a researcher in an academic hospital motivates me even more to develop techniques that we can directly apply to patient studies. This often leads to interesting cross-fertilization for new research. Due to the close connections, this is precisely possible within an academic hospital.“ says Anouk, assistant professor Radiology & Nuclear Medicine.

Are you and Amsterdam UMC a match? Discover it now!

Are you involved in Open and Responsible Science projects? And do you want your project to be in the spotlight by entering a competition? Then read on, this page contains information about the EUR / Erasmus MC Open and Responsible Science Awards 2024.

Prizes

The Open and Responsible Science program (ORS) wishes to recognize projects that include open, transparent, inclusive, and responsible scholarship practices. Fall 2024, ORS will award separate prizes to celebrate commitment to three important pillars of open science:

• Open Research

• Open Education

• Societal Engagement

The winners in each category will receive €2500 to be invested in research and educational materials.

For further reading about eligibility criteria, submission procedure, examples of Open Scholarship practices and evaluation procedure, go to this EUR-webpage.

Towards the sustainable production of future fuels, chemicals and materials

Would it be possible to build a refinery that is completely fossil-free, and thereby significantly contributing to a carbon-neutral society by as early as 2050? According to two chemists from Utrecht University it is. In a highly visionary Nature article, they present a roadmap in which oil refineries could be reinvented to be completely fossil-free. Processes will be electrified if possible, and raw materials will change to CO2, agricultural and municipal waste. “We wanted to see what would be needed to make a fossil-free refinery and took that to the extreme.”

Read full article