Congratulations to Dr. Jim de Ruiter for an Excellent PhD Defense. Jim has successfully defended her PhD thesis, supervised by Prof. Bert Weckhuysen and Dr. Ward van der Stam. Jim’s PhD thesis examines the catalytic mechanisms of electrochemical CO₂ reduction on copper catalysts using in situ Raman spectroscopy. His research focused on two key areas:
Mariangela Biggiero received the NIOK lecture award for her presentation at the NCCC 2025 conference
We congratulate Mariangela Biggiero on receiving the NIOK lecture award for her presentation “Quasi simultaneous X-ray absorption and diffraction to study activation and regeneration of an indium-bismuth catalyst for CO₂ electroreduction at high current density” at the NCCC 2025 conference. This this presentation, Mariangela presented the recent results of her PhD research on the stability
Sebastian Rejman received an RSC poster award for his poster at the NCCC 2025 conference
We congratulate Sebastian Rejman on receiving the RSC poster award for his poster “Executable Manuscripts as Jupyter Notebooks: The Next Evolution in Scientific Publishing?” at the NCCC 2025 conference. In this poster, Sebastian commented on the future of scientific publications and methods to make the executable. according to Sebastian, the scientific paper we know today
Earl L. Muetterties Memorial Lectureship in Chemistry of Bert Weckhuysen at UC Berkeley
Bert Weckhuysen gave within the frame of the Earl L. Muetterties Memorial Lectureship in Chemistry at the University of California (UC) at Berkeley two lectures, interacted with the scientific staff members, as well as had several meetings with the new generations of scientists, including PhD students and postdoctoral fellows, making it a very fruitful and
Catalysis Connected: Shaping the Refinery of the Future
Catalysis Connected is a conference series focused on advancing catalysis research. Launched in 2019, the conference brings together researchers, industry professionals, and academics to share knowledge and collaborate across disciplines. After successful events in Utrecht (2019) and Veldhoven (2022), the next conference is announced: Date: 16 & 17 April 2025 Location: RotterdamThe conference will explore
Bert Weckhuysen selected as 2024-2025 Francqui Chair at the University of Antwerp
Bert Weckhuysen has been selected as the ‘2024-2025 Francqui Chair’ at the University of Antwerp (Belgium), which is a prestigious academic chair awarded annually by the Francqui Foundation. This Chair aims to foster collaboration and knowledge exchange between Belgian universities and international scholars. It is granted to distinguished scholars from other Belgian universities or eminent
PhD defense Xuan Liu: Unveiling the electrolyte effects of CO2 electroreduction to CO and H2 evolution from the interfacial pH perspective
Congratulations to Dr. Xuan Liu for an Excellent PhD Defense. Xuan has successfully defended her PhD thesis, supervised by Prof. Marc Koper and Prof. Bert Weckhuysen. In her thesis, Xuan devised an in-situ interfacial pH sensor and visualized the evolution of interfacial pH during the electroreduction of CO2 to CO and H2 evolution. She found
Cell Symposium: Chemical solutions for a sustainable plastics future
Cell Symposium, in partnership with Utrecht University, announces a crucial scientific gathering focused on “Chemical Solutions for a Sustainable Plastics Future,” to be held October 13-15, 2025, in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. While plastics remain fundamental to modern life, their environmental impact poses significant challenges to ecosystems, wildlife, and planetary health. The symposium arrives at a
PhD defense Rafaël Vos: Temperature and pressure effects on the electrochemical CO2 reduction
Congratulations to Dr. Rafaël Vos for an Excellent PhD Defense. Rafaël has successfully defended his PhD thesis, supervised by Prof. Marc Koper and Prof. Bert Weckhuysen. In his thesis, Rafaël has examined the effect of temperature and pressure on the electrochemical CO2 reduction across eight sections. The work begins with an introduction to the field
PhD defense Joren Dorresteijn: Porous Supports for Catalytic α-Olefins Polymerization
Congratulations to Dr. Joren Dorresteijn for an Excellent PhD Defense. Joren has successfully defended his PhD thesis, supervised by Prof. Bert Weckhuysen, prof. dr. Eelco Vogt, and dr. Florian Meirer. In his thesis, Joren extended knowledge on how support materials influence heterogeneous olefin polymerization catalysts. He investigated the physical and chemical parameters of both industrial
PhD defense Ellen Sterk: Microkinetic Modeling of CO2 Methanation on Nickel Surfaces
Congratulations to Dr. Ellen Sterk for an Excellent PhD Defense. Ellen has successfully defended her PhD thesis, supervised by Prof. Bert Weckhuysen, prof. dr. Eelco Vogt, dr. Ivo Filot and dr. Jaap Louwen. In her thesis, Ellen advanced the fundamental understanding of the structure-sensitive reaction mechanism of the Sabatier reaction (CO2 methanation). She studied four
PhD defense Thimo Jacobs: Catalysts in Focus: Spectroscopic Toolbox for Mapping Local Temperature and Reaction Phenomena
Congratulations to Dr. Thimo Jacobs for an Excellent PhD Defense. Thimo has successfully defended his PhD thesis, supervised by Prof. Bert Weckhuysen and dr. Ward van der Stam. In his thesis, Thimo investigated the catalytic conversion of CO2 into value-added chemical building blocks, developing and applying spectroscopic methods to track catalyst performance. He focused on