PhD

Robots to inspect dikes

Dikes protect a large part of the Netherlands from flooding. If they fail, many people will suddenly live literally below sea level. ‘If there are problems with dikes, there are severe consequences. We are trying to solve that from the robotic perspective’, says Douwe Dresscher, who is helping to develop a robot that could autonomously inspect dikes.
PhD

BE COOL! Design moon houses

Gifted pupils in primary schools mostly read textbooks or work on individual assignments. But not children participating in BE COOL!-project. Those students get to design moon houses. The project introduces a new type of learning method built on collaboration and Alieke van Dijk is there to design and research this new educational approach.
PhD

Detecting cancer from urine

His aspiration was to save lives, and so he decided to switch from engineering to nanotechnology. The place to do that was the UT, where Dilu George Mathew now works on ‘Early Stage Cancer Detection Sensor’, a device able to detect cancer from patients’ urine. ‘This technique could not only save lives, but also a lot of money.’
PhD

Treatment of type 1 diabetes

It all started with a simple optical microscope she got as a child and used to examine the structure of paper or leaves. Now she is working on developing abioactive scaffoldto treat type 1 diabetes. ‘I love chocolate, it adds sweetness to life and I want everybody to be able to enjoy it!’ says Elahe Hadavi, PhD candidate from the Developmental BioEngineering group.
PhD

Analysing groundwater in Botswana

Water is essential to all life on Earth, but some areas have fewer water supplies than others. ‘We need to know what resources there are, in order to use them efficiently,’ says Moiteela Lekula, who is researching groundwater storage in his home country of Botswana.
PhD

What’s happening on social media?

Facebook, Microsoft and Google already had the privilege to host Dong Nguyen during her internships. Now, the UT shares Dong’s services with the Meertens Institute. Dong develops methods to analyse social media content. ‘I’m interested in patterns, not in individuals.’
PhD

Unraveling urban bike myths

There may be nine million bicycles in Beijing, but Enschede also has a sufficient number of bikes to need a solid policy on how to accommodate them best. Sander Veenstra is developing an application to support the city council in their decision making.
PhD

A helping hand to patients and PhDs

Doing a PhD can be challenging, demotivating and awarding. But what’s it like at the other end of the table? Assistant Professor Arno Stienen supervises PhD candidates in robotics. He advocates hard work, structure and early publications.
PhD

Do-It-Yourself Society

Participatory society. It’s one of those new buzz words to indicate that people are increasingly responsible for their own well-being, instead of the government. However, Judith Bakker knows that the ‘do-it-yourself society’ is not as new as it is presented. Citizens have always been active in many fields, such as in neighbourhoods. ‘People do an awful lot for others.’
PhD

Andrea Sánchez: The Machine Whisperer

Andrea Sánchez listens to machines: they use vibrations to tell her about their conditions and performances. The goal is to share her knowledge with other engineers, to help them understand fundamental elements of mechanical maintenance. ‘We need more machine-doctors to predict, diagnose and cure.’
PhD

Xavier Ikejemba: ‘I started with nothing’

Within five years, Xavier Ikejemba wants to give electricity access to 100.000 African households through his own company. Within three to four years, he wants to finish his dissertation on enhancing sustainable development of Africa. Eventually, he even wants to be the president of his home country Nigeria. ‘There’s no time to waste.’
PhD

Jonathan Barreaux: I can see clearly now

Jonathan Barreaux likes to shed a light on things. As a PhD candidate he seeks to improve the use of XUV-radiations. And as the president of P-NUT, he advocates real professionalization and clarity. ‘When my presidency is over, I want to have an efficiently working board, more Dutch PhDs in the association, more information on housing possibilities and even closer ties with Twente Graduate School.’
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