Vidi and Rubicon grants for Ronald Hanson (NS), Marnix Wagemaker (R³) and Guus Roeselers (BT)
13 July 2007 by TNWToday | M&CThe Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) has awarded a so-called Vidi grant to 83 outstanding young scientists. Among them are two Apllied Sciences'' researchers: Ronald Hanson and Marnix Wagemaker. The third vidi grant is for Erik Offerman (3mE). NWO has also awarded a Rubicon grant to 33 promising young scientists, including Applied Sciences'' researcher Guus Roeselers.
The Vidi grant is intended for researchers who have carried out several years of post-doctoral research after graduation. Each researcher receives a total of maximum 600,000 euros. The scientist can develop his or her own research line over five years with this sum. Three Vidi grants go to Delft researchers:
Quantum-mechanical calculation at room temperature (Dr R. (Ronald) Hanson, 1976, Quantum Information, Applied Sciences).
Quantum-mechanical phenomena in fixed materials can generally only be studied in isolated and deeply-cooled systems. Diamond is an exception to this: it has unique properties for the storage and processing of quantum information at room temperature. This research attempts to demonstrate the basic operations of quantum communication and quantum calculation in diamond.
Heat-resistant steel thanks to the European super-microscope (Dr S.E. (Erik) Offerman, 1974, Materials Science and Technology and Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering (3mE)).
The devastating fire in the World Trade Center in New York took the lives of 2,800 people. A European super-microscope could achieve a breakthrough in the development of heat-resistant steel by visualising the formation of life-saving nanoparticles in burning steel.
How can small be better? (Dr M. (Marnix) Wagemaker, 1971, Radiation, Radionuclides & Reactors, Applied Sciences)
Making Li-ion electrode particles smaller leads to unexpected material properties. Researchers unravel the atomic processes responsible for this, so that improved Li-ion batteries can be developed to meet our growing demand for better mobile energy storage.
The Rubicon grant allows recently-graduated Dutch researchers the opportunity to gain research experience abroad. And foreign researchers can carry out research in the Netherlands. The Delft researcher honoured:
The quest for nitrogen: Nitrogen assimilation in hydrothermal vent symbioses (G. (Guus) Roeselers, Environmental Biotechnology, Applied Sciences, TUD -> Harvard University (USA), 24 months)
The pipe-worm Riftia pachyptila – occurring around extremely hot deep-sea springs – has no mouth and is dependent for its feeding on a symbiosis with sulphur-oxidising bacteria. The researchers are going to investigate how this symbiosis can absorb the essential nutrient nitrogen.
For further information
Further information about the researchers (including contact details) can be obtained from:
NWO, Information and Communications Department
T: +31 (0)70 344 07 13
E: voorlichting@nwo.nl
W: www.nwo.nl/vernieuwingsimpuls and www.nwo.nl/rubicon
