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The Science for Sustainability Graduate Program proudly presents its second . Once more, the program allows four excellent Master’s students to pursue a PhD at the Faculty of Science, starting in September 2023. To apply, students need to write a proposal involving two supervisors from different departments. The proposal may be fundamental or applied; however, its relation to sustainability must be explicitly stated.

As part of the Science for Sustainability Graduate Program, you would be following in the footsteps of four other PhD students who have an interdisciplinary focus on sustainable research. Below, you can read what their PhD program is centred around. These projects indicate the width of the range of topics that may apply to this graduate program.

Catrien Hoffman combines environmental biology and geology as she focuses on biodiversity in the lowlands of Western Europe. She aims to improve the effectiveness of restoration and conservation by reconstructing biodiversity trends in agricultural landscapes in the area before, during and after agricultural intensification.

Tim Kamsma combines physics, mathematics, and neuroscience. Tim focuses on energy-efficient computers, inspired by neural networks in the brain (neuromorphic computers). He is researching memristors and building associated circuits to pursue energy-efficient methods of computation. 

Ronja Knippers combines biology and ecology in shaping human-wildlife coexistence. She is researching the influences of human perception, availability of food, and human and wildlife abundance on wildlife tolerance, damage to crops and wildlife’s perception of being hunted. Hereby she aims to steer human-wildlife conflict to coexistence and achieve both food security as well as biodiversity conservation.

Geert Schulpen combines chemistry and physics to study the ability of new shapable gel (bijel) to passively cool buildings. He is inspired by characteristics of white beetle scales that possess more efficient cooling properties than state-of-the-art coatings. The bijel might be used for buildings to reflect sunlight which could reduce energy consumption.