Rector magnificus Jacquelien Scherpen and three UG professors appointed NAE Fellows

Today, rector magnificus of the UG Jacquelien Scherpen , Prof. Erik Heeres , Prof. Bayu Jayawardhana and Prof. Wiro Niessen were appointed as fellows of The Netherlands Academy of Engineering (NAE). This reflects once again the technical profile of the UG.

The NAE unites the top experts active in technological sciences and applied research and development. As rector, Scherpen is committed to engineering at the UG. Since 2006, she has been Professor of Discrete Technology And Production Automation at the Faculty of Science and Engineering. She also served as director of the Engineering and Technology Institute Groningen (ENTEG) between 2013 and 2019. In March 2023, she won the Prince Friso Engineering Prize. Jayawardhana and Heeres both serve as professors at ENTEG. Jayawardhana is professor of Mechatronics and Nonlinear Control Engineering, Heeres is professor of Chemical Reaction Engineering. Niessen, finally, is dean of the Faculty of Medical Sciences. His research focuses on biomedical image analysis.

Engineering in Groningen

For decades now, the UG has been the only broad research university in the Netherlands to harbor engineering in both education and applied research. In 1958, the University was the first to start with engineering degrees and now offers over 20 engineering degrees. As of 1971, Groningen was allowed to give the engineering qualification (ingeinieur, ir.). This technological profile was strengthened by the Board of the University by the founding of the Groningen Engineering Center in 2016.

Top experts from various sectors

NAE Fellows are the top experts active in technological sciences and applied research and development from scientific, governmental, and industrial organizations in the Netherlands. NAE brings together a body of fellows with a diverse background, elected for their prestigious track record of impact in technical sciences and engineering-based innovation, their motivation and ability to make a difference, and for their objective, cross-sectoral, and high integrity attitude.

The Netherlands Academy of Engineering was officially launched in May 2023, with the call for nominations for Fellows of the NAE.