KVCV member Veronique Van Speybroeck, professor and head of the Centre for Molecular Modelling at Ghent University, will be awarded the 2024 Francqui Prize for Exact Sciences for her pioneering computational work to understand and predict the behaviour and properties of catalysts at the nanoscale.

Van Speybroeck mainly focuses on modelling nanoporous materials and developing methods to get a grip on complex chemical conversions in such materials. She always strives to make the simulations as close to realistic conditions as possible. The larger context of her work lies in heterogeneous catalysis and the design of sustainable industrial processes.