Prof Dr Ron Heeren (R.M.A.)

Heeren is well known for being an outstanding educator in analytical chemistry, mass spectrometry and the underlying physics. He has supervised>60 PhD students and postdoctoral fellows, many of whom have received prestigious awards (i.e., NWO-Vidi, ERC grants) and are now leading their own labs or hold key positions in industry — a true testimony of his teaching and mentorship. Currently, he supervises masters and PhD students at UM, Free University, and University of Amsterdam. He often is asked to provide tutorials on imaging mass spectrometry, including at international MS schools organized by the IMSF, which he does with contagious enthusiasm. His Sunday evening tutorial lecture on Imaging MS at the 2014 annual ASMS conference is still referenced by many in and outside of the field. He is part of the organizing committee of the annual Mass Spectrometry in Biomedicine summer school in Dubrovnik (now in its twelfth year), where he tutors and inspires students to network and prepare for a career in MS. As the founding director of M4I (2014), he built the Imaging Mass Spectrometry division to perform cutting-edge research and train the next generation of scientists. He has designed and established a molecular imaging track in the Biomedical Sciences Master program and is coordinating the establishment of a new Molecular Imaging and Engineering Master program at UM. Together with his team, he has organized numerous hands-on imaging MS workshops. 

Heeren’s educational contribution extends beyond the academic research community, and he engages the general public frequently: he hosts lab open house events to share his work, is featured in numerous YouTube and social media articles that promote the capabilities of MS and gave a TEDx Maastricht talk on the new dawn of cancer surgery. 

Heeren and his team developed several educational tools for primary and secondary schools that resulted in an educational publication in JASMS (2013). He lectures at Dutch high schools and enthusiastically organizes hands-on demonstrations in basic science projects.