Browse news

This year, the Royal Holland Society of Sciences and Humanities (KHMW) has appointed the following researchers from the University of Groningen as new members: Prof. Martijn Eickhoff, Prof. Inga Kamp, Prof. Merel Keijzer and Prof. Marie-José van Tol

Kim Poldner can get very angry about harmful fast fashion companies like Shein, but her academic work (and personal mission) revolves around what is possible: restoration, renewal, and resilience. And entrepreneurs who demonstrate these traits. Her work as Professor by special appointment of Regional and Circular Economic Development is mainly focused on the Northern Netherlands, which turns out to be highly receptive to regenerative experiments and ecosystem formation.

At a high level meeting in Delhi on Friday 6 February the Indian government’s Department of Science and Technology (DST) has officially opened the first call for applications for the Netherlands India Hydrogen Valley Fellowship Programme. President Jouke de Vries from the Board of the University of Groningen (UG) was in attendance, as well as a number of top Indian partners with whom the UG expects to work with. The signing ceremony of an agreement between the UG and 19 Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), paving the way for research collaboration through this government sponsored programme, was also part of the event.

An international team of astronomers, including dr. Rob Spaargaren from the University of Groningen, have demonstrated why only a small number of planets have the chemical requirements for life - and why the Earth is so fortunate.

On 6 March 2026, the University of Groningen (UG) will award the Aletta Jacobs Prize 2026 to lieutenant general Elanor Boekholt-O’Sullivan. The ceremony will take place in the Aula of the UG’s Academy Building. The programme includes speeches, musical interludes and of course the awarding of the prize.

In the new episode of University of the Netherlands, cosmologist Diederik Roest from the University of Groningen answers five questions about our crazy universe, such as: What do the Earth and running people have to do with a hamster in a hamster wheel? How can black holes cause the entire universe to vibrate? And what exactly is space-time?

Conditions remain very slippery in the northern provinces, with the result that public transport will not start running until late in the afternoon. For this reason, the University of Groningen buildings will remain closed for the entire day. The University Library will also remain closed. Only PhD ceremonies in the Academy Building will go ahead as planned.

Metamaterials are composites with a very precisely controlled structure. It is this structure that determines the properties of the metamaterial, not the substances it is made of. New research helps to predict the mechanics of metamaterials, so they can be designed with higher precision.

The Olympic Games are where athletes show off the peak of human performance and push themselves to the limit. But being an Olympian is not just about being at your absolute physical peak. Olympians must also strive for mental mastery. Nico W. van Yperen is Professor of Sport & Performance Psychology. His work focuses on the role mental strength plays in high-performance sport. ‘Many people think that physical and mental aspects are unrelated, but obviously, that is not at all the case,’ he says. ‘Your psychological state of mind always affects your physical performance, and vice versa.’

Are microplastics really as harmful to our health as reports in recent years would have us believe? And how many microplastics are actually found in the human body? In an article published in The Guardian on 13 January, scientists expressed their concerns about unfounded claims and conclusions about microplastics. We asked Barbro Melgert, professor of Respiratory Immunology at the University of Groningen, to comment on this report.