1 July 2024
In his previous role as director of the Informatics Institute, Alfons Hoekstra was closely involved in shaping the new Molecular and Materials Design (MMD) Technology hub. In this hub, technology-oriented research will be conducted with a focus on molecules and materials research.
'If you look around the experimental institutes, you will see that there is a lot of incredibly impactful research in the field of materials and molecules. We also see that we have unique equipment in-house to conduct innovative research. So we want to create new molecules and materials based on our deep knowledge about molecules and materials and with the help of smart AI and simulations. This should have an impact on our research themes Health or Green.'
'What is very important is the idea of accelerating scientific discoveries. That is a circle, where, for example, you have an experiment in which you measure the properties of a material. Data comes out of that. You then put that data into a model, which makes predictions based on your experiment: 'If you do this slightly differently, the material can have better properties'. Based on that prediction, you automatically create a new material. You then put this back into your experiment. So we want to close that circle.'
'This concept will bring people together. And that is also the idea, that we establish as many new collaborations as possible, in principle between all institutes. And there is a very strong technological component to it, because it is about optimizing properties.'
'I'm a builder, I like making something from nothing. We have a lot of momentum and now we have to get the ball rolling. That's what I like most, to give it a huge push and ensure that in a year's time we will have a very vibrant MMD community. There is also a lot of support from both the institute directors and the scientists. So that will be my role, to bring everyone together and move forward together.'
'We are all aware that a difficult financial period lies ahead. I cannot assess at the moment what this will mean for the Faculty of Science, for the various institutes and therefore for this initiative. But I do know that it will be difficult financially.'
'You can get very gloomy about that, but perhaps this MMD hub is a way to look at new forms of scientific research and its financing. I think we can still do a lot in public-private partnerships, for example. This means that you have to talk to companies to see if they are interested in helping to pay for part of the research. Because we are going to do very innovative things here that could also be interesting for such a company.'
'I really want to shape the MMD hub in the initial phase. In two years, there should be a vibrant community. Particularly young staff members who will further develop their careers here. There really needs to be something that has volume. I hope that it will become so big that it can be self-sustaining, that it will no longer require additional money from the faculty. And most importantly, groundbreaking science. Great publications and good theses. So in terms of success: a vibrant community, greater volume and money, and national, international recognition of this initiative.'