Faculty of Science and Engineering

Nitroshrimp: From shrimp waste to biobased fertilizers

A team of UM students from the Biobased Materials Masters, Business Engineering, Bachelors and Maastricht Science Program Bachelors was awarded 2nd place in the Netherlands’s national phase of Biobased Innovation Student Challenge Europe (BISC-E) Competition 2022.

Marco Serafini winner of Menno Knetsch Thesis Award 2022

The Menno Knetsch Award 2022 has been awarded to MSc Biobased Materials graduate Marco Serafini. His winning thesis was about ‘Sustainability assessment of biobased colourants for packaging applications.’

Circular Engineering: at the intersection of sustainability and technology

This academic year, Maastricht University launched the bachelor’s in Circular Engineering. New programme director Gavin Phillips and first-year students Maria el Kadi and Lea Dratwa discuss the how and why of this degree, which will help students to address existing as well as future sustainability challenges.

Searching for signals in the new science of gravitational waves

Jessica Steinlechner and her research group at Maastricht University are making their contribution to discovering into the origin and future of the universe in the form of mirror coatings that will improve our ability to make such measurements.

Giving a scientific push to cyclists at the Tour de France

Writing a thesis can be a lot of fun, particularly when you choose a subject that’s related to your favourite hobby. For Kristian van Kuijk, an avid cyclist, it’s even led to a dream come true. He’s found an accurate way to predict the energy burned by a rider during a race. The algorithm has impressed Team Jumbo-Visma, who are using Kristian’s predictions in this month’s Tour de France.

Four Vidi grants for talented Maastricht University researchers

The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) has awarded four experienced researchers at Maastricht University a Vidi grant of EUR 800,000.

First milestone for Brightsite Plasmalab: converting methane via plasma technology

"The first project recently started, in which we convert methane using plasma technology. The exciting experimental part will now really begin”.

Ten years Brightlands Chemelot Campus: Limburg's innovation engine for global challenges

Happy anniversary to Brightlands! In the space of exactly ten years, Brightlands Chemelot Campus has been working on global issues in the field of materials, biomedical innovations and sustainable processes.

Concerns about daily bread

In the Netherlands, more than a million people live below the poverty line. For them, it is not a matter of course that they can buy enough healthy and affordable food.

Yvonne van der Meer new president KNCV

At the Annual General Meeting (ALV) on June 21, 2022, Prof. Yvonne van der Meer was appointed President of the Royal Dutch Chemical Society.

The biggest animal lovers don't have pets themselves

No, the animals on the livestock farm do not have it best. But that applies just as much to many of our pets, says Professor Pim Martens in his book Animal Dignity. An animal that is used to living in a forest in Romania can't just be dropped into a flat in Amsterdam.

UM is taking steps to integrate sustainability into core course curricula

Sustainable UM 2030 has awarded three projects with a sustainability grant for education to further integrate sustainability into the course curricula. 

What did the big bang look like

New ‘supergroup’: DKE and IDS jointly become Department of Advanced Computing Sciences

The new department broadly covers research and education in artificial intelligence, computer science, data science, mathematics and robotics. Over 100 staff members find their home in the new group, which is embedded in the Faculty of Science and Engineering.

Sustainability of composite materials in the EMR region

This thematic was highlighted at the AACOMA Roadshow RS4 the 10 May 2022, hosted by the partner AMIBM at the Brightlands Chemelot Campus in Geleen (NL).

The new old plastic will soon come from Geleen

Will we succeed in changing the system of plastic production and waste? Professor Kim Ragaert laughingly says in this Dutch article in NRC that she is an optimist.

What does it take to write a play? UM students found out

End of April, renowned Dutch theatre company Toneelgroep Maastricht offered UM students the opportunity to take part in a playwriting workshop, a Meet & Greet with actors and a visit to A Seagull, an adaptation of the famous play by Anton Chekhov.