Pre-University Chemistry

Volkert van Steijn

Dr. ir.

Delft University of Technology

Volkert van Steijn works as an associate professor and leads a research group that has the ambition to contribute to solving problems in the area of health and life sciences through the development of lab/organ-on-a-chip technology. His group hereby builds on a sound expertise in fluid dynamics and transport phenomena at the micro-scale. Before joining the Department of Chemical Engineering, at the Faculty of Applied Sciences at TU Delft, Volkert worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard.

Volkert currently is the director of the bachelor program Molecular Science and Technology. This program between TU Delft and Leiden University provides students with a broad base in chemistry by marrying the molecular concepts by chemists and the technological concepts by chemical engineers. Through this combination, graduates are prepared for a working life on a planet on which solutions to the grand societal challenges in energy, health, and so on, clearly require a profound understanding of chemistry and chemical engineering.

The most rewarding aspect of my working life, by far, is to see a student grow, as a scholar, and especially as a person. I feel proud of being part of an environment in which our students are facilitated and stimulated to grow and rise above themselves. I am excited about this Pre-University Chemistry MOOC and hope it inspires you to further grow into the area of chemical sciences!

Rienk Eelkema

Dr.

Delft University of Technology

Rienk Eelkema works as an associate professor at the Department of Chemical Engineering, at the Faculty of Applied Sciences at TU Delft. He is currently a teacher in the Molecular Science and Technology, Applied Earth Sciences, and Chemical Engineering programs providing practical courses, and courses in general chemistry and in biomedical materials. Rienk Eelkema is involved in the Pre-University Chemistry MOOC, because he’s excited to introduce high school students to university chemistry topics and teaching methods.

Rienk previously worked at the lab of Ben Feringa (Nobel Prize in Chemistry) in Groningen, and at the University of Oxford in the UK. He now leads his own research group, which uses organic and polymer chemistry to make soft materials for biomedical applications and fundamental work on creating interactive materials.

Robin de Kruijff

Dr. ir.

Delft University of Technology

Robin works as an assistant professor at the Reactor Institute Delft of the TU Delft, where her research focuses on using radionuclides for medical applications. This means that she works on developing new production routes for radionuclides using our nuclear reactor, investigating their potential as radiopharmaceutical for cancer therapy, and using radiotracers to study the bioavailability and metabolism of essential minerals. She also finished her PhD at the TU Delft, but worked at Argonne National Laboratory in the USA for her postdoctoral research afterwards.

Robin currently teaches the course Introduction to Process Technology in the bachelor program Molecular Science and Technology as well as a couple of courses about radioactivity in the master program Chemical Engineering.

I’m excited to be part of the Pre-University Chemistry MOOC, and help students that are about to start university to refresh their chemistry knowledge and better prepare them for their further studies!

Cristiano Glessi

Dr.

Delft University of Technology

Cristiano Glessi is a postdoctoral researcher in the department of Imaging Physics at the faculty of Applied Sciences at TU Delft. His research focuses on the development of new materials and strategies for 3D (nano)printing through the use of electron-based nanofabrication methods. In his current role he spends half of his time on innovations in education, and he is currently a teacher in the Applied Physics bachelor program. He previously completed his PhD in chemistry at the University of Oslo in Norway, working on the synthesis of volatile organometallic complexes.

I am passionate about encouraging students to gain confidence in their scientific and technical capabilities. I am happy to be part of the Pre-University Chemistry MOOC, helping students in the transition from high school to university and introducing them to the chemistry of materials!