News

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.

A portrait of Ralf Peeters, professor of Mathematics. Without him, the Department of Data Science and Knowledge Engineering, which offers one of UM’s most successful study programmes, would have been swallowed up by another faculty long ago. Not that he’d ever say as much himself. Read on for portrait of a bridge builder, a puzzler, an art lover and, above all, a scientist.

Emerging Markets is the latest specialisation in the bachelor’s programmes in International Business and Economics & Business Economics at Maastricht University. New as it may be, it is already popular. It has even spurred on the development of a follow-up programme to be launched next autumn: the Master in Economics and Strategy in Emerging Markets.

In countless areas of modern life, we are told, the robots are coming… and among the roles they may some day fill are those of “socially assistive” tools for the elderly. But what do the older people in question think of these developments? Martina Čaić, a PhD student in the School of Business and Economics, is working on helping to find the answer. 

Research that transcends individual disciplines is highly regarded in academia, yet known to be incredibly challenging. Matthijs Cluitmans demonstrates that it is not only possible, but also of great added value. He obtained a joint PhD in 2016 from the Department of Data Science and Knowledge Engineering (DKE) and the School for Cardiovascular Diseases (CARIM). Before that, he studied both disciplines in Maastricht, and he now works for both institutes as well as at Philips Research.

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.

When prices shrink, does our empathy for salespeople shrink with them? Are we more likely to belittle a Ryanair flight attendant than one in a Lufthansa uniform? The answer, it appears, may be yes. Research carried out at Maastricht University’s School of Business and Economics indicates that consumer bargains can carry a hidden cost for the employees of budget retailers.