Dr. Xinwei Ye has been awarded the prestigious Embassy Science Fellowship by the Dutch Research Council (NWO). In collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NWO has granted seven Embassy Science Fellowships (ESF-NL) to enable researchers to address global scientific and societal challenges identified by Dutch embassies and consulates. Dr. Ye will focus on sustainable
PhD Student Daan Groefsema Receives Best Oral Presentation Award at NGCS13
Daan Groefsema, a PhD student in the group, received the Best Oral Presentation Award at the 13th International Natural Gas Conversion Symposium (NGCS13) in Xiamen, China for his presentation “Measuring Local Exothermic Effects during the Oxidative Coupling of Methane using Operando Luminescence Thermometry”. His award-winning work focused on measuring local exothermic effects during the Oxidative
Bert Weckhuysen Receives Earl L. Muetterties Memorial Lectureship in Chemistry
In recognition of his groundbreaking work in the field of heterogeneous catalysis, Bert Weckhuysen has been awarded the 2024-2025 Earl L. Muetterties Memorial Lectureship in Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley. This lectureship honors the legacy of Earl Leonard Muetterties, a distinguished chemist who made lasting contributions during his scientific career. The lectureship not
European Microscopy Society Honors Groundbreaking Materials Science Paper
Our recent Science article has been honored with the European Microscopy Society (EMS) Outstanding Paper Award in the category of Materials Sciences. The article is authored by Matteo Monai, Kellie Jenkinson, Angela E. M. Melcherts, Jaap N. Louwen, Ece A. Irmak, Sandra Van Aert, Thomas Altantzis, Charlotte Vogt, Ward van der Stam, Tomáš Duchoň, Břetislav
Bert Weckhuysen and Eelco Vogt published in Nature a roadmap to a carbon-neutral refinery by 2050
Eelco Vogt and Bert Weckhuysen published a paper in Nature examining the viability of a completely fossil-free future refinery. Currently, crude oil is refined to fuels and various petroleum-based chemicals and raw materials in refineries. Refining crude oil and using the process’s products as fuels are considered primary CO2 emission sources. The refinery of the
Bert Weckhuysen received an honorary doctorate from Ghent University
On 22 March 2024, Bert Weckhuysen received an honorary doctorate (“Doctor Honoris Causa”) from Ghent University for his groundbreaking contributions to develop structure-performance relationships in the field of catalysis by making use of innovative in-situ and operando spectroscopy tools. His research outcomes are major in the path towards the realization of a more sustainable and
Utrecht University hosted the 4th SUNER-C Consortium Meeting
The SUNER-C members came together in Utrecht on 7 March to discuss the project progress, address the challenges, and plan the finalizing and reporting of the project. During the event, the work packages (WP) leaders presented the progress of their WP and discussed the reporting progress; also, the members discussed plans for the participation of
Angela Melcherts received the NIOK Lecture Award for her presentation at the NCCC 2024 conference
PhD student Angela Melcherts received the NIOK Lecture Award for her presentation “Tuning Metal-Support Interactions in the CO2 Hydrogenation over Ni Supported on Titania Polymorphs”. Angela presented the results of her research about the mechanistic pathways of catalytic CO2 methanation over nickel supported on different titanium dioxide polymorphs (i.e., anatase, rutile, and brookite). She used
PhD defense Mark Mangnus: Mystifying Photoluminescence Mechanisms Unraveling and exploiting non-ideal behavior of luminescent nanomaterials
Congratulations to Dr. Mark Mangnus for an Excellent PhD Defense. Mark has successfully defended his PhD thesis, supervised by Prof. Bert Weckhuysen, prof. dr. Alfons van Blaaderen, and dr. Freddy Rabouw. In his thesis, Mark studied lanthanide doped materials. These materials have well-defined emission energies that are barely affected by the host crystal in which
Bert Weckhuysen will receive an honorary doctorate from Ghent University
Ghent University is awarding an honorary doctorate to Bert Weckhuysen, Professor of Inorganic Chemistry & Catalysis at Utrecht University. The doctorate is a special honor for his exceptional scientific achievements. The honorary doctorate will be awarded during the Dies Natalis of Ghent University, on Friday, March 22. Professors Veronique van Speybroek and Kevin van Geem
PhD defense Shuang Yang: Structure−Performance Relationships of Copper and Post−Transition Metals in Electrochemical CO2 Reduction
Congratulations to Dr. Shuang Yang for an Excellent PhD Defense. Shuang has successfully defended her PhD thesis, supervised by Prof. Bert Weckhuysen and Dr. Ward van der Stam. Shuang has studied the effect of post-transition metals (Bi, Pb & Sn) on the properties of Cu for electrochemical CO2 reduction, aiming to convert CO2 into valuable
Advice to the Minister of Education, Culture and Science on Starting and Incentive Grants
In 2023 a committee has been installed to advice the minister of Education, Culture, and Science, Robbert Dijkgraaf, as well as all Dutch university boards on how the so-called “starters- & stimuleringsbeurzen” have to be best organized and invested within the university organizations. The chair of the committee was Bert Weckhuysen, who had the complex