UMagazine

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.

Russia: from (quasi-)democracy to dictatorship

MSI: frontrunner in sustainability

Are we really making progress towards the sustainable transition? One thing is clear: if we’re not, it’s not the fault of sustainability science.

On dyslexia, prejudice and friendship

One misconception that Milene Bonte and Giada Guerra want to dispel at the very start of this interview is the idea that people with dyslexia are less intelligent than others. The learning disorder is nonetheless a serious problem, affecting an estimated 5 to 10 percent of primary school children.

Terms and conditions of our future

The Facebook Papers, a series of documents leaked by whistleblower Frances Haugen, brim with revelations. The company appears to have been fully aware of its role in the dissemination of false information and anger-inducing content. Moral philosopher Katleen Gabriels and data protection lawyer Paolo Balboni discuss the problems and possible solutions.

A second chance for plastic

If we were to replace plastic with paper or glass, would the environment benefit? Surprisingly, no, says professor of Circular Plastics Kim Ragaert. She is calling for an alternative approach aimed at increasing awareness of and knowledge about recycling.

TrainTool: lifelike role-playing video games

The last 'nerve doctor' in the Netherlands

Frans Verhey, professor of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neuropsychiatry is proud of what the Limburg Alzheimer’s Centre has achieved and of its team, which works tirelessly to improve the quality of life of people with Alzheimer’s. “Alzheimer’s tends to be seen as a horrible, deadly brain disease that makes life unbearable. But with the right support and care, you can often still have a meaningful and enjoyable life.”

Life and death and glaciers

From a small room in a quarantine hotel in New Zealand, UM alum Moniek Mestrom discusses the importance of emergency medicine and her experiences as a ship physician. Never has she felt so free as during expeditions to the Antarctic and Greenland.

The herd behaviour of pension funds

Late last year Matteo Bonetti, born and raised in Italy, successfully defended his PhD dissertation on factors that influence investment strategy.

“I want to make crossing borders easier”

Hildegard Schneider is set to say goodbye. As professor of European Migration Law and former dean of the Faculty of Law, her career coincided with the foundation and pioneering years of the law faculty. She herself made an important contribution to the profiling of Maastricht University as a ‘European’ university. “Now the university has to get ready for global challenges.”

Poland’s erosion of EU standards

PhD candidate Akudo McGee is studying the contestation of EU norms, particularly in Poland. An American citizen of Nigerian descent, she views the European project from an outsider’s perspective—with fascination and, increasingly, concern.

Leading actor in the European Parliament

As a fresh-faced student, Jeroen Lenaers had no idea where a degree in European Studies would take him. The UM alum who simply ‘fell’ into a career in international politics was last year elected by VoteWatch Europe as the most politically influential Dutch MEP.

Is Europe becoming a world power?

The world order is shifting. Putin continues to taunt Europe. China’s global expansionism seems limitless. And how to respond to the United States’ renewed desire for cooperation? The European Union’s answer should be greater strategic autonomy, says Sophie Vanhoonacker, professor of Administrative Governance and Jean Monnet professor.

The paradox of pain avoidance

Ann Meulders, associate professor of Experimental Health Psychology, is working on a Vidi project focusing on pain avoidance, a proven predictor of chronic pain. As her PhD candidate Eveliina Glogan demonstrates in her dissertation, an important mechanism behind the generalisation of pain avoidance is uncertainty about future pain.

“Boston is an epicentre of science”

As a physician and clinical researcher, Frederic Schaper has one burning ambition: to create a ‘map’ of the network connections in the brain. The UM alum and his colleagues from Harvard Medical School expect to publish their first, promising results this autumn.

Healthcare for undocumented migrants

Together with her master’s students, Milena Pavlova is investigating the access to healthcare of undocumented migrants. Her findings give cause for concern: in many countries, this group has no or little access to healthcare.

“How sustainable is it? That is the question”

Professor Yvonne van der Meer is investigating how companies can improve the sustainability of their products. She analyses every material, exposing the lifecycle in its entirety.

Vulnerable victims can use all the support they can get

Sexual harassment in public is becoming a punishable offence. It’s a good idea, says Suzan van der Aa, professor of Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure, but one that doesn’t go far enough. “Sexual harassment in the workplace is common too, and usually has a greater impact on the victims.”
 

“Start your business during your studies”

Graciëlla van Vliet studied Econometrics in Maastricht, followed by a master’s degree in Rotterdam—a near guarantee for a top job at a top organisation. Instead she opted for independent entrepreneurship.

“Older people like to be in control of their own environment”

The 37-year-old Hilde Verbeek was appointed on 9 July as professor of Long-Term Care Environments at the Living Lab for Ageing and Long-Term Care Limburg. She may be relatively young, but her research, academic record and vision of care for older people all bear witness to her maturity, erudition and empathy. “Older people want to be at home, not in a home. Home is a feeling, a sense of security, a place that evokes memories. That’s what we have to work towards. I want to change things.”

More Sergio Herman than Gordon Ramsay

When it comes to food, Didier Fouarge has a wealth of happy memories. An only child raised in Namur, Belgium, he was used to eating fresh, delicious food from an early age. For this economics professor, cooking is more than a mere hobby.

More than meets the eye

Emilie Sitzia has been awarded a prestigious Comenius Leadership Fellowship for a three-year project focused on teaching sensory skills beyond the visual – from hearing to feeling and smelling. Lick this article to increase your likelihood of remembering it.

Forensics at UM: broad, innovative and multidisciplinary

With no fewer than three forensics chairs, Maastricht University is unique in the Netherlands. Bela Kubat, professor of Forensic Pathology, Paul Hofman, professor of Forensic and Post-mortem Radiology, and Wilma Duijst, professor of Forensic Medicine and Health-Related Criminal Law, discuss the developments in their field.

DisUnited Russia

Cybersecurity and Russian politics are global concerns—but digital technology is playing an intriguing role in Russia’s own upcoming elections too. Russia expert Mariëlle Wijermars explains.

Lessons from a border region

The pandemic has called into question the idea of a Europe without frontiers. Sarah Schoenmaekers and Martin Unfried—specialists in EU law and Euregional cooperation, respectively—search for answers.

Food is family

What she eats matters less to her than who her tablemates are. Ronit Shiri-Sverdlov, professor of Inflammation and Metabolic Health, is happiest when eating at home with her family. The chef is whoever feels like cooking, the food is whatever they happen to have on hand.

Maastricht after graduation: to stay or to go?

Resolute late bloomer

Marieke van den Beuken–van Everdingen was 49 when she obtained her PhD and 56 when she became professor of Palliative Medicine. “It took a while for me to find my feet. And in my day, internal medicine was still mainly a man’s world, which didn’t help either.” Here she talks about quality of life, flying from Eindhoven to Maastricht and meeting former health minister Els Borst.

“UM considers diversity extremely valuable”

Constance Sommerey and her three colleagues play a key role in promoting, monitoring and drawing attention to issues of inclusion and diversity at UM. "Diversity and inclusivity touch the very core of society and thus also the heart of the academic world." Hillmann Batuo, a fourth-year medical student from Cameroon, tells his story.  

“Depression is like the economy”

Depression can behave in the same way as the economy, according to doctor and researcher Suzanne van Bronswijk. An approach based on econometric modelling can therefore help in deciding between treatment options.

A new life for eggshells

At EGGXPERT, a local startup, two waste products from eggs are put to use in the production of facial masks and wound plasters. Co-founder Chang Liu was one of the first graduates of the master’s in Biobased Materials at the Faculty of Science and Engineering.

From instrumentation physicist to socially engaged scientist

Gerard van Rooij, professor of Plasma Chemistry, was the first PhD candidate of Ron Heeren, university professor and director of the M4I institute. Together they reflect on a pioneering period in which they took the first tentative steps in the development of imaging mass spectrometry.

How do you solve a murder?

Robert Horselenberg has been in charge of the Maastricht cold-case team since its creation about 10 years ago. Ten students, mostly from the master’s degree in Forensics, Criminology and Law, are given six months to study an existing cold case and come up with recommendations for the Public Prosecution Service and the cold-case team of the Limburg Police.

Good education through the Educational Agenda Limburg

In 2014 Trudie Schils, professor of Economics of Education, was one of the driving forces behind the start of the Educational Agenda Limburg. The agenda is a long-term project seeking to improve education in the province and the connection to the labour market. The first concrete results have since been unveiled, including a monitor to track pupils’ and students’ development.

‘A few’ (or rather, many) good people in Lebanon

After earning her master’s degree at the UM School of Health Professions Education (SHE), Zakia Dimassi is now back in Beirut, Lebanon, where she is an assistant professor at Saint George Hospital University Medical Center. There, she hopes to put her knowledge to good use, contributing to better healthcare and education.

Traditions with an aftertaste

A peek inside the kitchen of Mark Kawakami. Mark, assistant professor of Private Law, grew up in Japan and Hawaii. Omotenashi, Japanese hospitality, was drilled into him from an early age, but when it comes to food, he prefers the spicy cuisines of Thailand or Mexico to that of Japan.

Obesity and COVID-19: a dangerous duo

People with obesity are more likely to contract a severe case of COVID-19, and more likely to die from it. Gijs Goossens, associate professor of Human Biology, is studying whether drugs that lower blood pressure can reduce the risks.

Life in the museum

In August 2020—the year of the coronavirus—Vivian van Saaze, associate professor at FASoS, moved with her husband and daughter to London for a fellowship at the renowned Tate museum.

Nerd with a calling

Cognitive Neuroscience alum Job van den Hurk works as a data scientist and scientific manager at the MRI centre Scannexus. He is also ‘the prof’ in Brainstorm, a youth television programme on NPO Zapp. His passion: making neuroscience accessible.

Reaching for the stars

Portrait of Bartel Van de Walle who has been director of UNU-MERIT since September 2020

More than a single story

Global Studies—the name of the new Maastricht University (UM) bachelor’s programme sounds perfectly Promethean. Yet the concept makes a lot of sense; indeed, it may well be the most pragmatic approach to preparing students for the 21st century.

Abuses in the adoption system

Elvira Loibl defended her PhD in early 2019 for her research on illegal practices in the world of international adoption. “As a criminologist, I know that every transaction has a dark side. I wanted to bring that to light.” André Klip, professor of Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure and the Transnational Aspects of Criminal Law, was one of her three supervisors – although she made their work easy. “A lightning-fast PhD that ends in a cum laude: that’s rare”, Klip says.

Matteo Bonelli and Daniel On looking back on PhD life with a sense of pride

One from Italy. One from Romania. Both sharing a house in Maastricht while getting their PhDs. Both earning their degrees with the distinction cum laude. Matteo Bonelli and Daniel On share about their life and research at the Maastricht University Faculty of Law.

Addiction: between personal responsibility and brain disease

Anna Goldberg is currently writing her dissertation on the role of addiction in criminal law from a neuroscientific perspective under the supervision of David Roef, endowed professor of Criminal Law.

“Helping young musical talent in an honest, transparent and sustainable way”

“Creativity loves a crisis”

A radiation oncologist by training, Philippe Lambin does not limit his research to a single disease. His latest achievement: three European grants for his research on COVID-19.
 

An algorithm-mad surfer

In 2016 Marta Dávila Mateu, now a graduate of Data Science and Knowledge Engineering, moved to Maastricht, a city completely unknown to her. Her choice turned out to be a double-edged sword. She found the lack of skate culture depressing, but enjoyed her studies, especially the focus on the mathematics behind data.

Online education at breakneck speed

The outbreak of COVID-19 meant that, as of mid-March, education at UM suddenly had to be offered entirely online. Together with their team, Nicolai Manie, programme manager for online education, and Simon Beausaert, associate professor of Workplace Learning, faced the almost impossible task of achieving this within a few days.

From leek to sashimi

A peek inside the kitchen of Annemie Schols

“Why not move Carnival to summer?”

Christian Hoebe, professor of Social Medicine and head of Infectious Disease Control at the GGD Zuid-Limburg, discusses his passion for social medicine, his childhood in Alkmaar and, of course, the fight against COVID-19.

“I try to make the world a better place”

Etudes for a new classical music practice

The MCICM received funding from the NWO/SIA for research into ways in which symphony orchestras can involve their audiences more actively in concerts. And then the corona crisis hit. Peter Peters, director of the MCICM explains what this means for the research and talks about the insights thus far.

How to make ethically responsible corona policy?

Associate Professor in public health ethics Peter Schröder-Bäck studied the effects of the European debt crisis on health. He is now advising  policymakers across Europe on the ethics of responding to the corona crisis.

Intellectual property law: protecting all that is intangible

Professor Anselm Kamperman Sanders and Dr Anke Moerland, both at the Faculty of Law, received a grant from the EU’s Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie programme for their project EIPIN Innovation Society, which assesses the role of IP in innovation cycles.

Selection predicts better performance

Before she began her PhD, Sanne Schreurs thought “important people” were standoffish. Then she met her supervisor, Professor Mirjam oude Egbrink. “I was surprised at how sweet and supportive she was.” According to the findings of their research, the selection procedure for Medicine predicts study success and results in better doctors.

Put down the 'frikandel'

On the Brightlands Campus Greenport Venlo, paediatrician Edgar van Mil and psychologist Remco Havermans hold the Youth, Food and Health chair at Maastricht University’s Faculty of Science and Engineering.

Rainer Goebel: A career on solid ground

Portrait of Rainer Goebel, professor of Cognitive Neuroscience. An academic overachiever, the Netherlands’ first Tesla driver and hacker of the first iPhone, Goebel is also a farmer’s son and a family man.

Small change, big impact

Can you reduce the room temperature of your home and still feel comfortable? Can you keep up the habit of doing fewer loads of laundry? Yes and yes, according to the findings of the ENERGISE project, which challenged 300 households in eight countries to reduce their energy consumption.

Organ donation after euthanasia still rare

Due to an acute shortage of organ donors, hundreds of people die each year in the Netherlands and Belgium alone. One large group of potential donors may not even be aware that they can donate their organs: people who opt for euthanasia. For his PhD research, Jan Bollen studied the issue of organ donation following euthanasia.

Professor Formisano's ideal Christmas dinner

A unique case of looted art

It started with an international phone call from the lawyers of the Norton Simon Museum in California. Not long after that, assistant professor Lars van Vliet served as an expert witness in a important court case. The stakes: a diptych by Lucas Cranach the Elder, which the heiress of the Jewish art dealer Jacques Goudstikker claimed had been looted. After a court case lasting 12 years, she came away empty-handed – partly due to the research of Lars van Vliet.

BReIN to tackle Alzheimer’s using big data

Earlier this year Jos Kleinjans, professor of Environmental Health Sciences at Maastricht University (UM), received the final word on a multi-year, multi-million-euro contribution to his brainchild, the Brightlands e-Infrastructure for Neurohealth (BReIN for short). This research institute will open up new horizons in the application of big data in healthcare. 

Is time on our side?

Until recently, palaeontology and evolutionary biology were not among the key disciplines at UM. This is set to change, say the newly appointed professors José Joordens and Leon Claessens.

From Viking to dean

A conversation with the Dane Peter Møllgaard, professor Industrial Organisation and dean of the Maastricht School of Business and Economics (SBE), on role models, family, sustainable energy and the best risotto. On Friday 1 November he will deliver his inaugural lecture.

Maastricht Law and Tech Lab: where the humanities and sciences join forces

Research on the legal issues surrounding new technologies has become a fixture at most universities. What has received less attention is how AI itself can be applied in the study and practice of law. This is where the Maastricht Law and Tech Lab comes in.

Vaccination against cervical cancer: yes or no?

Mothers who make use of the HPV Vaccination Decision Aid, a new, interactive website, are better informed and more willing to have their daughters vaccinated against HPV than mothers who do not. This is the main conclusion of research conducted by Mirjam Pot, who recently defended her PhD at Maastricht University.

Liberated from the insulin syringe

Almost 150,000 people in the Netherlands suffer from type 1 diabetes. Aart van Apeldoorn, diabetes researcher at the Institute for Technology-Inspired Regenerative Medicine (MERLN), hopes to do away with the insulin syringe by means of an implant known as the ‘tea bag’

Innovative education in conflict areas

Even in the world’s most war-torn countries, educational innovation is in demand. SHE Collaborates, part of the UM School for Health Professions Education, has launched several projects in Yemen and South Sudan.

A healthy business mentality and work that matters

A strong-willed globetrotter with an unwavering belief in the power of cooperation, and the ability to see opportunities where others see obstacles. That’s Patricia Vermeulen in a nutshell. The director of Amref Flying Doctors in Leiden, Vermeulen was educated at Maastricht University using Problem-Based Learning.

Kiran Patel says farewell to FASoS

Kiran Patel is leaving Maastricht University for the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich, where he will hold the chair in European History and establish an interdisciplinary research centre on Europe and European history. Here, he reflects on his time in Maastricht.

“How you study is more important than what you study”

Arts and Sciences graduate Judith Maas is deputy ambassador in Mexico. She looks back on her time at Maastricht University.

Towards a landmine-free world

Massoud and Mahmud Hassani grew up in Kabul, Afghanistan – literally in a minefield. Many years later, in the Netherlands, the brothers have developed Mine Kafon: a drone system for detecting landmines. Having overcome the initial teething troubles and secured the necessary patents, they are now ready to tackle the next challenge: marketing. Students of the master’s programme in International Business are helping the brothers take their business to the next level.

Exposing fakers

Irena Boskovic wrote her dissertation under the supervision of Professor Harald Merckelbach on “malingerers”, people who deliberately fake medical symptoms to gain some form of benefit. Here, the professor and his former PhD candidate look back on a successful collaboration. Merckelbach: “Irena is very productive, accomplished and an excellent writer.” Boskovic: “What I respect about Harald is that he’ll never play the I’m-the-professor card.”

Maastricht and Boston: the best of both worlds

If you could find out whether you’ll get Alzheimer’s disease someday, would you want to know? “No”, says researcher Heidi Jacobs firmly. “Not until we can do something about it.” She does have high hopes that a treatment to delay the onset of the disease is within reach. “Many dementia researchers, myself included, have stepped out of their bubble.”

Food brings people together

Soul kitchen: a peek inside the kitchens of UM employees
Catalina Goanta, assistent professor of Privat Law, is the ultimate host: “In Romania we see that as normal. If you pay someone a visit and don’t get anything to eat, that’s a reason never to go back. It’s a sign of respect.”

“Europe keeps me up at night, not my job”

A portrait of Sophie Vanhoonacker, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences: “I don’t mind talking about myself if I’m asked. But most people like to do the talking.” 

Leadership down to a fine art

The highlight of the Maastricht art scene is TEFAF (The European Fine Art Fair), the annual March event that draws hundreds of high-end dealers and collectors and thousands of visitors to the city from all over the world. This year, the same week saw another – smaller – group of international visitors break new ground: the first cohort of the Executive Master in Cultural Leadership.

Studio Europa: with élan and Fingerspitzengefühl

Academic director Mathieu Segers talks about the importance of gaining a better understanding of ourselves in Europe.

“Europe belongs to all of us”

In 2018, European Studies alum Joost van den Akker became one of the regional ministers of Limburg, “the most international province of the Netherlands”. In his eyes, the university is a “European musketeer” whose pursuit of internationalisation and Europe is a winning model.

Technical feats at 180 degrees below zero

Frank Nijpels is working on the Vitrojet, a new device that prepares samples for a form of electron microscopy that received the 2017 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

“I’m a coffee fundamentalist”

Soul kitchen: a peek inside the kitchens of UM employees
Bakir Bulić, director of the Faculty of Science and Engineering, still remembers being smuggled across the border from Germany to a refugee centre in Zeewolde when he was eight years old. He and his father, mother and sister Sabina were fleeing the Bosnian War. “The only thing I could think about at that moment was my mum’s veal schnitzel and mash. The thought comforted me, gave me something to hold on to.”

European disability law: DARE to dream

Although things have improved for people with disabilities in Europe in the past decades, the work is far from done. Professor Lisa Waddington coordinates Maastricht University’s involvement in a new project: Disability Advocacy Research in Europe (DARE). This new Marie Sklodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network (ITN) provides funding for 15 early-stage researchers to conduct their PhD research.

Master in BISS: for the data architects of the future

A reappraisal of emotion in politics

In their new collection of essays, Het hart op de tong, René Gabriëls, Sjaak Koenis and Tsjalling Swierstra argue that emotions are indispensable to democracy.

“The only role I can play is myself”

Teun Dekker, the political philosopher and first professor of Liberal Arts and Sciences Education in Europe, turns every lecture into a performance. The goal: reaching his students. Thursday 31st January he will deliver his inaugural lecture.

Honorary laureate Michael Ignatieff on freedom and democracy

Canadian writer, journalist and academic Michael Ignatieff (1947) will receive an honorary doctorate from Maastricht University at its Dies Natalis on 25 January.

Honorary laureate Amitav Ghosh on climate catostrophy

Acclaimed novelist Amitav Ghosh on our collective failure to address climate change, as dicussed in his book The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable. Ghosh will be presented with an honorary doctorate from Maastricht University during the 43rd Dies Natalis.

Solid as a cloud

With his new project Solid, the inventor of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee, tries to give users back ownership of their data. The internet hasn’t developed in the way he intended it. Data science progresses at a dizzying pace – are the people in the driver’s seat aware of their responsibility? We asked Gerhard Weiss, Professor of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence and Frank Thuijsman, Professor Strategic Optimization and Data Science.

Living Lab in Ageing and Long-Term Care: a unique selling point for UM

The purpose of these changes in long-term care is to improve the quality of life of vulnerable older people. At the Living Lab in Ageing and Long-Term Care in South Limburg, these improvements go hand in hand with high-quality scientific research. The Living Lab in Ageing and Long-Term Care celebrates its 20th anniversary.

The EU as peacemaker

It may come as a surprise that a core task of the European Union is to promote peace and security in crisis areas around the world. But why does it do this, and what is it aiming to achieve?

Physics booming at UM

Maastricht University is gearing up to conduct more research in the area of fundamental physics. “The aim is to put UM on the map as a physics institute, in the eyes of other researchers as well as the general public,” says Gideon Koekoek, who joined UM’s research group on gravitational waves in 2017.

Crowdfunding in academia: exception or future reality?

If you can’t persuade official funding bodies of the merit of your research proposal, is crowdfunding a viable alternative? Here, Chahinda Ghossein-Doha and Marieke Hopman talk about their experiences with crowdfunding.

Does my turtle look disappointed?

To contribute to sustainable human–animal relationships, Bingtao Su, under the supervision of Pim Martens, researched the relationship between the ethical outlook of pet owners.

However many steps – to each problem its solution

Wary of resting on its ‘leading in learning’ laurels, UM commissioned research into the practices, problems and potential of Problem-Based Learning – all with a view to formulating a vision for the future.

Relationship between lipids and Alzheimer’s

Pilar Martinez, newly appointed professor of Neuro-inflammation and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, will deliver her inaugural lecture ‘Lipids and antibodies in neurological and psychiatric diseases’ on Friday 5 October. Four years ago, Martinez began studying the role of lipids – fats – in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. She quickly became convinced that lipids play an important role in the development of this brain disease.  

A match made in Maastricht: Alex and Lisa Brüggen

On 14 September, exactly 17 years after they first met, Lisa and Alex will celebrate becoming Professors Brüggen and Brüggen. The SBE scholars who share a last name and a life together reflect on joint inaugural lectures, coincidence and coffee, private and professional spheres, and Lufthansa’s close attention to academic titles.

Making Clinical Sense

In her project “Making Clinical Sense,” anthropologist Anna Harris is researching how medical skills are taught and learnt.

The risks of convenience

The EU-wide General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will oblige companies to have a data protection officer, to inform authorities and affected individuals of security breaches, and to invest in data encryption and intrusion prevention and detection systems. This should improve the security of sensitive personal data – but it is important to remember that there’s no such thing as a perfectly secure system, according to Apostolis Zarras, cybersecurity expert.