Feature articles
Breaking free from the validation trap
Isabelle Kohler explores how early-career researchers can develop internal validation skills to find genuine fulfillment and authentic career direction while breaking free from the pressure to constantly perform for others.
Groundbreaking creativity with flow reactors
Creaflow is developing a flow plate reactor that is ideal for photochemical and electrochemical processes. It is easy to vary and highly scalable. ‘As a start-up, we were quickly embraced by the market.’
Spectrum with suggestions
Imagine scanning a spectrum of an unknown molecule and receiving a few suggestions from an AI assistant as to what it could be. Researchers at MIT and IBM are actively working on this technology and have already achieved powerful results. ‘Those who don’t embrace AI may find themselves left behind.’
Tracing Biobased Plastics on the green path
For fifteen years, petrochemical company Braskem has been working hard on developing biobased polymers, like I’m green™ bio-based polyethylene.
How to make student supervision and teaching work for you
Teaching transformed Isabelle Kohler’s career from an anxiety-inducing PhD requirement to her greatest academic passion. Here, she offers practical strategies to PhD students and postdocs facing increased supervision duties.
Old technique awaits resurgence
Field-flow fractionation is a decades old technique with a lot of potential, though lack of knowledge and training keeps it from getting the attention it deserves. ‘You can couple FFF to all kinds of detectors, so the amount of information you can possibly gather is very rich.’
From guidance to growth: join our mentoring program’s pilot phase!
Isabelle and the KNCV will join forces to launch a national mentoring program for early-career researchers. This column is both a reflection on the power of mentorship and an invitation to join the pilot phase of this initiative.
Career path
Should fundamental research be adapted to meet the needs of businesses, Sjoerd Rijpkema asks himself. Or is there another solution?
Podium: Katarina Cankar
Our members form the beating heart of our societies. Here, we regularly highlight one of them. This time, it’s NBV-member Katarina Cankar.
Systems thinking approach wins major education award
The CLEAR initiative at the University of Twente won the Dutch Education Award 2025. The jury was impressed by the systems thinking approach, which creates chemists that are well-suited for the challenges of tomorrow. So, what’s next?
Recalibrating your academic compass this summer
The summer break offers academics more than rest – it’s a rare opportunity to pause, reflect, and realign. Isabelle Kohler shares how a quieter pace can help you recalibrate your academic compass and make intentional choices for the year ahead.
Science communication: your pathway to broader impact
Isabelle Kohler shares why science communication – in whatever format works best – might be one of the most rewarding parts of any professional journey.
How to: Precision Fermentation
In the Netherlands, big steps are already taken in terms of the protein transition and precision fermentation. However, education is needed to ensure these major developments can continue. The English courses offered by Wageningen University & Research are a good start. ‘Training people to lead the field is important.’
Opium Act
Sjoerd Rijpkema recognises the merits of amending the Opium Act, but believes that this is only one side of the coin.
When your PhD becomes your identity
As academic work increasingly shapes personal identity, early-career researchers are especially vulnerable to over-identifying with their PhD. Isabelle Kohler shares how this dynamic affected her own journey and offers practical strategies to help PhD students and postdocs build a broader sense of self.
The hydrogen economy is a fleeting fairy tale
According to scientists at the University of Amsterdam, simple calculations show that the idea of a hydrogen economy emerging in the 21st century is completely unrealistic. They wrote about this in Green Chemistry.
Puzzles make chemistry tangible (and fun)
By incorporating game-based learning in his courses, Michael Lerch provides his students with a new perspective on chemistry. ‘Turning complex concepts into something hands-on and fun like a puzzle, helps them to really understand the material.’
Cutting language support is cutting the future of the Dutch research landscape
Isabelle Kohler contemplates how local decisions, like cutting language support, risk undermining national goals for integration and long-term talent retention. She calls on institutions and policymakers to invest in those people already committed to building their careers in the Netherlands.
Intermolecular Diels-Alder is last step in super complex natural product
A close collaboration between teams from the universities of Leiden and Groningen succeeded in the total synthesis of the very complex molecule lugdunomycin and clarified its biosynthetic pathway, which included an intermolecular Diels-Alder reaction.
Is there a real-world gap in PhD training?
Isabelle Kohler highlights the disconnect between academic training and real-world readiness. She calls for a systemic shift to better equip early-career scientists for a job market that extends far beyond academia.
