Feature articles
The struggle of timely PhD completion
Isabelle Kohler explores the structural issues behind PhD delays and shares practical advice for both PhD students and supervisors to support timely and sustainable PhD completion
Palladium
Most scientific research will not win a Nobel Prize, writes columnist Sjoerd Rijpkema. Are we too attached to our boundaries?
Putting the F in pharma
Adding fluorine to drug molecules can be tricky, but is often worthwhile. Rachel Brazil talks to the chemists trying to tame the ninth element.
Podium: Kevin Neumann
Our members form the beating heart of our societies. Here, we regularly highlight one of them. This time, it’s KNCV-member Kevin Neumann.
The unfortunate generation
Our new columnist Sjoerd Rijpkema distills his thoughts and opinions about chemistry and society into a meme. This week: the compensation for students in the Netherlands who didn’t get a ‘basisbeurs’.
First detected 40 years ago, a byproduct in chloraminated drinking water has finally been identified
The nature of an ‘unidentified product’ in drinking water disinfected with chloramines, which serves over 113 million people in the US alone, has finally been revealed by researchers in the US and Switzerland.
Take charge of your finances
Isabelle Kohler shares her journey from financial uncertainty to financial confidence and offers practical advice to help early-career researchers take control of their financial future.
Finding your writer’s voice
Writing is an essential skill in academia, yet many early-career researchers find it challenging. In this column, Isabelle Kohler shares her personal relationship with writing and offers practical advice to help researchers transform writing from a daunting task into a rewarding practice.
Producing antibodies non-stop
Huge batch reactors are still the norm in the bioprocessing industry. But they are not really sustainable, nor are they cheap. Start-up company SimAbs is now introducing a steady-state system in which antibodies are produced continuously.
The power of looking backwards
Isabelle shares how her personal journey taught her the value of looking backwards rather than forwards or sideways. She applies these insights to academia, encouraging PhD students and postdocs to acknowledge their progress and small wins.
E-boiler reduces gas consumption at Vopak Vlaardingen
Tank storage company Vopak has recently installed an e-boiler at its terminal in Vlaardingen. This could reduce gas consumption by a third. ‘The benefits lie in sustainability and CO2 reduction.’
Prioritise your next step
Career planning is often overshadowed by the demands of research, leaving many PhD students unprepared for their next step. That’s why they should start planning their next career move early, says Isabelle Kohler.
Green solvents for biogas membranes
To help make the agricultural sector more sustainable, a team from KU Leuven designed a membrane with a green solvent strategy for biogas purification.
Solid composite electrolyte outperforms on all fronts
A team from the University of Hasselt and the research institute imec presents in Advanced Science a new electrolyte that combines the properties of solid and liquid electrolytes in batteries. ‘We actually cheat a little.’
What does success mean to you?
Isabelle Kohler explores the personal nature of success and guides early-career researchers through the process of defining what success means to them.
More than pollution: secondary organic aerosols
Air pollution interferes with plant olfactory communication by accelerating the breakdown of volatile compounds. However, a recent study published in Science suggests that the effects of pollution are not as simple as they seem.
First step towards natural sunscreen
Researchers in Amsterdam have laid the first foundations for a sunscreen based on a molecule found naturally in the skin: urocanic acid. They have published extensive spectroscopic data in two papers in Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics.
Ball mill removes PFAS from wastewater
Many pharmaceutical residues and PFASs accumulate in the environment, including in our wastewater. A ball mill seems to be the solution in a Dutch pilot project.
One technology for all volumes
With a smaller version of its Kytero single-use centrifuge, GEA enables customers to apply the same separation technology during each stage of the track from R&D to full-blown commercial scale.
An ode to patience
Isabelle Kohler offers valuable tips to help early-career researchers stay patient while pursuing their professional dreams.
