Frequently asked questions
Below are the most frequently asked questions about Meet the Professor. If your question isn鈥檛 included here, please get in touch. Want to find out who鈥檚 behind Meet the Professor? If so, check out the Contact page.
FAQ for teachers
Any primary school located within a maximum of 30 minutes by bicycle from the Dom or a maximum of 20 minutes from Utrecht Science Park may register its groups 6, 7 and/or 8 for Meet the Professor. Starting this year (2026 edition), Meet the Professor is also available for international schools in the Utrecht region or classes on Dutch-speaking schools looking for an extra challenge. We will try to match them with an English-speaking duo.
Yes, you can sign up as many classes at each school as you like.
Meet the Professor is certainly not just aimed at plus or talent classes! All years 6, 7 and 8 at a primary school no more than 30 minutes by bicycle from the Dom can participate.
No, unfortunately you cannot indicate a preference for a particular researcher, duo, or research theme. We pair up schools and research duos at random. And who will come to visit you...? You will work it out together, using the clues sent to you in the Meet the Professor quest!
Yes, we make sure that the researchers know how to communicate with children. We help the researchers to prepare their story. As a result, we make sure that the researchers arrives at your school well prepared!
Unfortunately, this is not possible. All the researchers visit on the same date. Should a researcher be unable to attend last minute due to illness or other private circumstances, another date will be sought.
The researchers are counting on you to have a computer with a USB connection and a projector or smart board. If you don't have this, you can still participate. Besides the equipment mentioned above, you don't need anything special.
Starting with the 2026 edition, Meet the Professor and Slimme Gasten have joined forces. This means that our research duos will visit schools in both the municipality of Utrecht and the Utrecht region. In this way, we hope to reach even more children. For schools that previously participated in Slimme Gasten, this means that visits will now take place in spring.
Children and researchers have something important in common: both groups are very curious and want to understand the world around them better. As a result, the researchers who participate in Meet the Professor find it important to show children what they do. In this approach, they hope to demonstrate a new generation of children how fun and vital it is to be interested and keep digging deeper.
No, participation in Meet the Professor is completely free! The preparatory lessons and all materials will also be sent to you free of charge.
We鈥檝e got lots of ideas about this! Please contact us at meettheprofessor@uu.nl.
FAQ for reseachers
Science is a collaborative endeavour, team work! We believe it is important to give children a realistic picture of academic work, which is why we ask researchers to register as a pair. Can't find a partner? Please contact us and we will see if we can help you!
No problem! We will make sure you are well prepared for the class. All participants will receive a video from us with tips on how to best prepare for your school visit. In addition, there is always someone at the Centre for Science and Culture (CWC) who is happy to help you!
We start Meet the Professor every year with a festive opening in the Academy Building. One of the participating classes is also present here. Afterwards, all duos cycle or drive to the class they are going to visit.
Yes, we can! On the registration form, you can indicate that you would like to use a (electric) rental bicycle.
Although it is by no means required, it is a joy to be present as a research team. We understand that if you want to visit a school by car or one that is extremely close to your home address, it may be simpler to forgo the opening. Notifying us of your attendance is greatly appreciated, since we also set up catering.
Sure! We organize many events for young and old. Check out our events page for more information.
