Enjoy being like a detective

Chemistry Views interviewed Bert Weckhuysen on 1 August 2023 about receiving the Chemistry Europe Award.

When I received the news, I was in Ghent with my family. It was after New Year’s. We—me, my two children and my wife—came back from a restaurant. I am a bit of a workaholic, so I had my computer with me, opened it, and read about being awarded. I was happy and it made me silent. There is also some burden on my shoulders now, as it is the inaugural award, which means it is not very well-known yet.

The full interview is available here.

Katalyse van biomassa: hot topic vooral voor publieke geldschieters

Agro & Chemie interviewed Bert Weckhuysen on 17 December 2014 about Biomass catalysis.

Currently, the funding of scientific research in the field of catalysis is a reasonable reflection of the real world. Yes, a lot is happening in the field of fossil raw materials, recently driven by shale gas, but biomass is also a hot topic, but more for the government than big business.

The full interview is available in Dutch here.

Wetenschap stap dichter bij brandstof maken uit CO₂ (in Dutch, January 2022).

‘Ten years of biomass catalysis’ (2017).

Plastics recycling research rocketed forward in 2021

Chemical & Engineering News interviewed Bert Weckhuysen on 16 December 2021 about plastics recycling.

In the past year, however, “there is really a surge—almost everyone is jumping on things,” Weckhuysen says. Chemists are studying many aspects of the plastics recycling problem. They are researching ways to break down plastics with catalysts, studying mechanical recycling, and rethinking how plastics are made in the first place. Plastics have entered a stage of circular thinking, Weckhuysen says, in which scientists design the polymers with a focus on what will happen to the materials after their initial use.

The full interview is available here.

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Hunting for the hidden chemistry in heterogeneous catalysts

Chemical & Engineering News interviewed Bert Weckhuysen on 17 July 2017 about advancing analytical techniques for industrial catalysis.

Because even modest improvements in catalyst performance could substantially reduce the cost, energy requirements, and waste associated with catalytic processes, researchers strive to develop new analytical techniques that can reveal hidden details of the way solid catalysts work and eventually lose their potency. Some of the latest advances draw on X-ray methods, electron microscopy, and atom probe tomography.

The full interview is available here.

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‘X-raying catalysts in action’ by MJ (in English, December 2012, page 44).

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‘A bright way to track reactions – Fluorescence method detects molecular events with high spatial resolution’ by Mitch Jacoby (in English, February 2006, edited by William G. Schulz & Melissa Kuhnell, page 6).

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‘Chemistry highlights 2003 – Environment’ by Stu Borman (in English, December 2003, page 39-50).

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‘’Ramaniscing’ about catalysis – Symposium spotlights spectroscopy method’s use in catalysis, which has taken off recently’ – One area of current by Mitch Jacoby (in English, October 2003, page 59-65).

‘Onderzoek ARC CBBC naar groene bouwstenen chemie groeit gestaag’ by Leendert van der Ent (in Dutch, January 2020).

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‘Katalyse: geen hokus pokus, maar uitdagingen genoeg – ‘De oplossingen zijn er, als we willen’ by Marga van Zundert (in Dutch, March 2018, photography: Utrecht University, page 42-44).

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‘Toptalent ontwikkelt nieuwe chemische bouwstenen – Nationaal onderzoekconsortium in chemie gaat van start’ by Marga van Zundert (in Dutch, April 2016, page 41-42).

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‘Bert Weckhuysen ontrafelt geheimen van katalysatoren – Eerst zien, dan geloven’ by Els van den Brink (in Dutch, February 2013, page 42-44).

‘Dossier Groene chemie’ by Arno van t’ Hoog (in Dutch, October 2021).

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‘Van vuilniszak naar fijnchemie’ by Arno van t’ Hoog (in Dutch, April 2021).

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‘Efficiёnte CO2-katalyse gezocht’ by Bastienne Wentzel (in Dutch, June 2019, page 30-31).

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‘Vloeibaar metaal reduceert koolstofdioxide’ by Arjen Dijkgraaf (in Dutch, February 2019).

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‘Hoe een katalysator dischtslibt – Door elektronica geinspireerde simulatie coorspelt effect van metaaldeeltjes’ by (in Dutch, September 2016).

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‘Voorkeursbehandeling voor lignine’ by Astrid de Graad (in Dutch, August 2016, page 16-17).

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‘Onlinecollege’ by Puck Moll (in Dutch, June 2016, page 36).

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‘Beknopt op publicatiekansen’ by Puck Moll (in Dutch, March 2016, page 5).

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‘Zeoliet gefilmd in actie – Fluorescentiemicroscopie bepaalt activiteit op de vierkante nanometer’ by AD (in Dutch, July 2015).

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‘Op zoek naar de eeuwige jeugd’ by Arjen Dijkgraaf (in Dutch, November 2013, page 14-17, interview).

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‘Gouden Medaillewinnaar Bert Weckhuysen wint Spinozapremie!’ (in Dutch, July 2013, photography: Ivar Pel, page 28).

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‘Gekatalyseerd door een Spinozapremie – NWO steunt dit jaar grafeen en katalyse-onderzoek’ by ADIJ (in Dutch, June 2013, page 11).

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‘Microscoop als katalysator – Hoe je chemische reacties volgt op nanoschaal’ by Chemisch 2 Weekblad (in Dutch, September 2012, page 8).

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‘Chemicaliën uit groenafval’  by Bastiënne Wentzel (in Dutch, February 2012, page 20-23).

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‘Iets moois in handen – Jaap Bergwerff viel samen met zijn promotor Bert Weckhuysen in de prijzen op het NCCC’ by Mariëtte Bliekendaal (in Dutch, April 2009, page 30).

‘Unexpected oscillations clarify mechanism of 100 year-old Fischer–Tropsch reaction’ by Victoria Atkinson (in English, October 2023).

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‘Case closed on how surfactant micelles create mesopores within zeolites’ by Fernando Gomollón-Bel (in English, January 2022).

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‘Lights – camera – catalysis!’ by Clare Sansom (in English, August 2018).

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‘Liquid metal catalyst shows promise in industrial reaction’ by Tim Wogan (in English, July 2017).

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‘A slice of microscopy’ by Emma Davies (in English, June 2017, interview).

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‘Game of Go explains zeolite clogging’ by Andrew Jeskins (in English, May 2017).

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‘Zeolites under the microscope’ by Chemistry World (in English, November 2011).

‘Uitdagende chemie tussen Eindhoven en Utrecht’ by Nicole Testerink (in Dutch, September 2013, photography: Bart van Overbeeke, page 12-15).

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”De chemie is er’ – Preferred partnership Eindhoven en Utrecht krijgt vorm’ by Norbine Schalij (in Dutch, January 2012, illustration: Jeannette Bos, page 14-15).

‘Universiteit Utrecht moet zich beter verkopen om reputatieverlies te voorkomen’ by Ries Agterberg (in Dutch, April 2019).

‘Bedrijven en universiteiten ontwikkelen samen groene chemie’ by Sylvia Torn (in Dutch, October 2021).

‘Catalysts gel helping hands’ by the Royal Society of Chemistry (in English, November 2017).

‘Waarom je dat chocoladepuntje in een ijshoorn beter over kunt slaan’ by ELLE (in Dutch, May 2017).

’De week kennis – wetenschappelijk nieuws samengevat: Spinozapremie’ (in Dutch, June 2013, page 83).

‘Bimetallic nanoalloys as highly effective hydrogenation catalysts’ by ESRF-Highlights (in English, 2015, page 104-105).

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‘Operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy shows structural dynamics of Cu-containing catalyst for bio-based butadiene formation’ by ESRF-Highlights (in English, 2015, page 68-69).

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‘Fuelling nature to provide cleaner energy’ by ESRF news (in English, June 2010, page 12-13).

‘Vuile olie sloopt katalysator’ (in Dutch, 2016, page 96).

‘Bouwstenen uit biomassa versus prutsen op een dijkje’ (in Dutch, February 2013, page 22-24, interview).

‘Chemische bouwstenen oor een duurzame toekomst’ by Malou van Hintum (in Dutch, March 2016, illustrations: Rhonald Blommesteijn, page 12-13).

‘Op weg naar een duurzame samenleving – Genuanceerd doorbuffelen’ by Armand Heijen and Johan Vlasblom (in Dutch, November 2013, pictures: Flow, page 12-15).

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‘Bert Weckhuysen wint NWO-Spinozapremie’ (in Dutch, June 2013, page 4).

‘Wereldresearch’ by Lieke van den Krommenacker (in Dutch, February 2007, photography: Merlijn Doomerink, page 30).

‘Plastics could enrich the world simply by no longer being plastic’ by David Grossman (in English, October 2020).

“Micro- en nanoschaal katalysatoronderzoek met één microscope’ by Leendert van der Ent (in Dutch, November 2020, photos: FOODnote, page 28-31).

‘Solar fuels: Eindhoven and Utrecht experience a challenging chemistry’ by Strategic Alliance (in English, 2020, page 10).

‘College in de discotheek’ by Karolien Poels (in Dutch, March 2017, page 16-17).

‘Waarom je je ijsje nooit meer helemaal wil opeten’ by Marie Claire (in Dutch, May 2017).

‘CO₂? Gewoon recyclen!’ by Pieter van den Brand (in Dutch, October 2020, photos: Shell, Universiteit Utrecht, page 32-34).

‘De moeizame weg naar het verfschap – Bijzondere eigenschappen blijken lastig toe te voegen’ by Reneé Canrinus-Moezelaar (in Dutch, December 2021).

‘Met chemie kun je de wereld verbeteren stelt hoogleraar Bert Weckhuysen. Zijn eerste stap? De ware essentie van chemische reacties doorgronden’ by Jim Jansen & George van Hal (in Dutch, April 2015, photography: Bob Bronshoff, page 20-27, interview).

‘Waarom kun je het onderste puntje van je ijshoorntje beter niet opeten?’ by NU weekend (in Dutch, April 2017).

“Een wetenschapper biedt opties aan ” – interview with Bert Weckhuysen (in Dutch, May 2017)

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‘CBBC heeft zijn selectie rond’ by Onderzoek Nederland (in Dutch, January 2017, page 1-2).

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‘Katalyse gaat via Halfweg naar Antwerpen’ by Onderzoek Nederland (in Dutch, December 2016, page 5).

‘Geef jonge mensen de ruimte om te verdwalen’ by Wim Raaijen (in Dutch, March 2021, photo: Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, page 10-13, interview with Ben Feringa).

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‘Wederkerigheid werkt ook als katalysator’ by Wim Raaijen (in Dutch, June 2019, page 14-17).

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‘We moeten de innovators van de toekomst opleiden’ by Wim Raaijen (in Dutch, September 2018).

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‘Nieuw onderzoekscentrum chemie van start’ by Petrochem (in Dutch, May 2016).

‘Researchers solve mystery of ‘structure-insensitive’ catalytic reactions’ by Utrecht University (in English, December 2021).

‘Plantjesplastic’ by Frank Beijen (in Dutch, March 2015).

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‘Pionier van de katalysator – Chemicus als detective’ by Berry Overvelde (in Dutch, June 2013, photography: Adrie Mouthaan, page 6-9, interview).

‘Chemistry group gears up for funding windfall’ by Erik Roller (in English, April 2021).

‘CO2 als alternatieve brandstof: ‘Het is niet onmogelijk” by Michiel de Vries (in Dutch, November 2015, interview).

Science: close ranks, stand shoulder to shoulder

ScienceGuide interviewed Bert Weckhuysen on 6 April 2021 on the future of science in the Netherlands.

Exhausted researchers, strikes at universities and lagging behind other knowledge economies: that is what the Netherlands faces if it does not increase research funding, says Bert Weckhuysen. He chaired two KNAW committees that issued advice on the distribution of research resources. “Now it is time to implement it,” says Weckhuysen in light of the impending cabinet formation.

The full interview is available in Dutch here.

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A new NWO reorganization is not our intention

ScienceGuide interviewed Bert Weckhuysen on 22 June 2020 on the Dutch funding strategies.

June 22, 2020 | According to KNAW committee chairman Bert Weckhuysen, there must be more balance in science funding, but the committee’s advice has never been to reorganize NWO. “We must ensure that healthy competition remains. It should not be peace and quiet, but you must also be able to bring healthy peace to the system. You can do this by thinking in the system whether the balance of the first and second flow of money is in order,” says Weckhuysen.

The full interview is available in Dutch here.

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The rolling grants fund does not yet have a solution for its own pitfall

ScienceGuide interviewed Bert Weckhuysen on 14 January 2021 on the rolling grants.

During the presentation of the Weckhuysen advice on the rolling grant fund, it became apparent that there are not yet any mechanisms to prevent perverse incentives, such as encouraging competition. MPs from the standing committee for Education, Culture and Science expressed their appreciation for the proposal, but also had questions.

The full interview is available in Dutch here.

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Passion for catalysis

ScienceGuide interviewed Bert Weckhuysen on 31 October 2013 on his research on catalysis.

Bert Weckhuysen, the Spinoza laureate, does not only live for publications. “I want my research to have an impact on society.” His research group is working on the development of cleaner and more efficient processes for making fuels. “But that could take up to 50 years.”  Weckhuysen’s research into catalysts will certainly have an impact on society, but that will probably take 50 years. “Our department publishes in, among other things, the well-known scientific journals that start with the ‘S’ and ‘N’, but that is not what drives me. I want our research to have an impact on society, on industry, or on education by shaping the future generation of scientists. That still motivates me every morning, that is my passion,” says Weckhuysen during his presentation at the meeting of the European Research Council at Utrecht University.

The full interview is available in Dutch here.

‘A New Technique Turns Waste Plastic Into Valuable Chemicals’ by Waste Advantage (in English, October 2020).

Shell TechXplorer

‘Xternal connect’ by Shell TechXplorer (in English, Vol. 07, No. 25).

Shell World

‘Honderd miljoen naar onderzoek nieuwe materialen’ by Shell World (in Dutch, March 2016, page 4).

‘Ambitieus programma voor nieuwe chemie’ by Kees Groeneveld (in Dutch, March 2016, photography: Henk Tukker, page 34-35, interview).

‘Overheid zou wetenschappelijk onderzoek meer kunnen sturen’ by Josefine van Enk (in Dutch, January 2022).

‘Wij willen fundamentele nieuwe technologie ontwikkelen’ by Marga van Zundert (in Dutch, September 2019, photos: Nieuwe beelden makers, page 14-17, interview).

‘Nieuw middel in strijd tegen coronavirus? Universiteit van Utrecht werkt aan viruswerende verf’ by Laurens Van Aert (In Dutch, December 2021).