Feature articles
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.
ChatGPT
After a reviewer carelessly left a ‘please let me know if you’d like some other questions!’, Sjoerd Rijpkema knew they had used ChatGPT for the reviewing process.
Awareness dawned in Botswana
Scientist Marthe Wens (32) is active in Scientist Rebellion. She learned to protest step by step. ‘At first, I watched from the sidelines until I was ready to take action myself.’
Women in science: still invisible, even in space
Isabelle Kohler reflects on the recent all-female space flight and the media’s focus on celebrities over scientists. She shares actionable steps researchers can take to foster a more inclusive and equitable academic culture.
Une nouvelle approche de la photocatalyse
Les réactions photocatalytiques sont un sujet d’actualité, mais passer de l’échelle du laboratoire à l’échelle industrielle reste un défi. Le consortium PhotoScale concevra un photoréacteur à disque rotatif qui permettra de réaliser des réactions photocatalytiques intéressantes sur le plan pharmaceutique à une échelle relativement grande.
Machine Learning pour la chromatographie
Ceux qui développent des méthodes de séparations chromatographiques le savent bien : séparer des mélanges (complexes) demande beaucoup de travail. Mais avec la naissance de du machine learning, un groupe de l’Université de Louvain parvient à accélérer efficacement le processus. Les personnes sont souvent bloquées par leurs propres méthodes.
Nouvelle arme contre la résistance bactérienne : un ennemi des bactéries devient un allié
Obulytix, une spin-off de l’UGent et de la KU Leuven, voit dans les protéines issues des bactériophages un moyen de résoudre le problème croissant de la résistance aux antibiotiques. « Cela nous permettrait de créer un antibiotique optimal contre toute infection bactérienne possible. »
Plastique recyclé vs plastique neuf : comment changer la norme ?
Pour véritablement progresser dans la lutte contre la pollution causée par les matières plastiques, le recyclage doit se réinventer.
