Short description

Since 2009, the Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials has offered a special, highly prestigious chair. This Zernike Chair has been established to allow offering to a world-class scientist in materials science, a temporary position at the Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, with the aim of further improving the Institute’s research, teaching, and visibility.

The holder of the Zernike Chair is to be an exceptional scientist, who has a solid overview of the disciplines united in the Zernike Institute. He or she has to have an excellent insight in the activities of other institutes world-wide with a mission similar to that of the Zernike Institute. Moreover, he or she is also expected to understand the business and politics of running a large multi-disciplinary institute like the Zernike Institute. He or she will have an extended network, of which the Zernike Institute will benefit. Finally, the holder is expected to be interested in the public-relations or “outreach” activities to be expected of an institute like the Zernike Institute.

The holder is to be a world-class scientist, whose judgement in scientific matters is valued by all.

Tasks

The holder of the Zernike Chair is expected to interact closely with various research groups within the Zernike Institute. He or she is to stimulate further collaboration within the Institute, as well as to suggest possible avenues for collaboration with groups elsewhere. He or she will advise the Scientific Director and the Board of the Institute, as well as individual researchers, on fruitful avenues of research to explore.

The holder will give at least one lecture series in his or her own field of specialization at the advanced graduate/PhD-level.

The holder will give at least one “outreach” lecture for a more general audience. This Zernike Chair Lecture will be widely advertized by the Zernike Institute. An additional aim of this lecture is to attract media attention.

To emphasize the status accorded to the Zernike Chair, appointment to the position will be by the Board of the University of Groningen.

 

Holders of the Zernike Chair

The following are past or future holders of the Zernike Chair

 

2009: Robert J. Silbey, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA

2010: Johan Hofkens, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium

          Zernike Lecture: 2010-11-11 The power of one: what can we learn from looking at single molecules?

2011:Wanda Andreoni, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland

          Zernike Lecture: 2011-10-27 The energy issue: can supercomputing help?

2012: Fulvio Parmigiani, Univerrsità degli Studi di Trieste, Italy