Researchers at the Faculty of Science work at the frontiers of knowledge every day, tackling today's major societal challenges. Their work is recognised through grants, prizes and other awards. We highlight some of these achievements below.
Safely sharing patient data for research
How can patients share their health data safely? That is the question at the heart of Wessel Kraaij's project. As more people collect their own health data and exchange experiences, the need for secure, well-organised systems is growing. The researchers are identifying the ten best ways to make patient data available for research. They are looking at existing initiatives and exploring how these can be made safer and easier to use. Kraaij's project is funded through the Thematic Digital Competence Centre Life Sciences & Health of NWO.
Green fertiliser from renewable energy
How can we make nitrogen chemistry more sustainable? The HyNITROGEN project is developing ways to produce fertilisers and other nitrogen compounds using green electricity, without the high CO₂ emissions of traditional processes. The project is creating and testing new technologies to convert renewable energy into products such as green ammonia, and to recover nitrogen from wastewater so that fertilisers can be reused in a circular way. These innovations are being scaled up from the lab to real-world applications. In Leiden, Marc Koper and Dennis Hetterscheid are working on a method to convert ammonia into nitrate, as a step towards local, sustainable fertiliser production. The project has received more than €20 million from NWO and the National Growth Fund programme GroenvermogenNL.
Gerhard Ertl Lecture Award for Marc Koper
Marc Koper has received the Gerhard Ertl Lecture Award 2026,an international prize for leading research in catalysis. The award honours scientists who excel in this field and is named after Nobel laureate Gerhard Ertl (2007). Koper is recognised for his groundbreaking work in electrochemistry and catalysis, where he studies how to better understand and control reactions driven by electricity - knowledge that is essential for sustainable energy and green chemistry. In December 2026, he will deliver his award lecture at the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society in Berlin.
Funding for innovative technology projects
Two research projects have received funding through NWO's Open Technology Programme. In these projects, researchers are working on innovative solutions to major societal and technological challenges.
A circular power plant
What if we could build a power plant that stores sustainable energy when it is abundant and releases it when there is a shortage? That is what Dirk Bouwmeester and Irene Groot are working on. Their approach also reuses CO₂ by converting it into fuels using plasma technology. With new techniques for fast reactions, efficient separation and heat reuse, the researchers aim to make this process suitable for large-scale use. This could make it possible to store energy without relying on fossil fuels or scarce raw materials, and provide an important building block for a sustainable and self-sufficient energy system.
Smarter design of complex digital systems
Our world is full of complex digital systems - from cars and hospitals to high-tech equipment. Todor Stefanov, together with Andy Pimentel from the University of Amsterdam, aims to help companies and researchers design these systems more effectively. Such systems combine software and hardware and are becoming increasingly complex, making it difficult to make good design choices. This project therefore develops a method that can automatically evaluate different design options and compare them in terms of performance and cost. This makes it easier to identify the best solution and helps bring new technologies to market more quickly and efficiently.
The future of plastics
Can we develop plastics that are both safe and sustainable? Martina Vijver is exploring this question together with researchers from Maastricht University and the University of Amsterdam. In this project, by-products from biorefineries, known as 'humins', are given a second life as sustainable plastics. Instead of being burned, they are turned into new materials that are strong, yet can also be reshaped and recycled. They can also break down safely without leaving microplastics behind. These materials can be used to reinforce natural fibres, for example in bio-based products. At the same time, the researchers are studying how safe these materials are for people and the environment, and what their overall environmental benefits are. They are also looking at practical challenges, such as regulations and market acceptance, to ensure that these circular materials can be widely used in the future.
Unravelling the mystery of high-energy particles
Clusters of galaxies are the largest structures in the universe, filled with hot plasma and high-energy particles that emit radio waves. How these particles acquire their enormous energies remains a mystery, but Reinout van Weeren is set to try and unravel it. His project uses the LOFAR telescope to detect the radio signals from these energetic particles, which are invisible at higher frequencies. By mapping these hidden particles, we aim to unravel the physical processes behind their acceleration.
