Bored at work? That doesn't have to be a bad thing

For many managers, employees who get bored during working hours are a nightmare. But according to UT researcher Caroline Fischer, it doesn't have to be a problem. 'Boredom is a functional emotion.'

Better treatment for patients that suffered oxygen shortage in the brain

Mimicking a stroke to minimize brain damage

Neurologist and UT scientist Jeanette Hofmeijer studies how to improve the prognosis and treatment of patients that suffered brain damage due to oxygen shortage. Results from her research showed that activation of brain cells had positive effects on their recovery. This is at odds with the current treatment where the brain is actually calmed down.

UT research on human behaviour during lockdowns

‘It took time for people to adjust to a lockdown and its end’

Kostas Konsolakis, PhD candidate at the University of Twente, spent two months measuring human behaviour during a lockdown. His study, which aimed to show the effects of enforced confinements on people’s lives, was published in Nature last month.

Robots als oplossing voor het personeelstekort? Veel blijft mensenwerk

De beveiligers bij Schiphol zijn niet aan te slepen en de zorg staat door personeelstekort op knappen. Zijn robots het antwoord op al deze vacatures? UT-experts zien grote mogelijkheden in de nabije toekomst, maar plaatsen ook kanttekeningen.

Could robots solve staff shortages? Humans are not easily replaced

Security guards at Schiphol Airport are in short supply and the healthcare sector is on the verge of collapse due to staff shortages. Are robots the answer to all these job vacancies? UT experts see great potential in the near future, but also make some critical observations.

Nuclear fusion: ‘Great and important achievement’

A breakthrough in nuclear fusion was announced by US scientists last week. For the first time ever, a nuclear fusion reaction resulted in a net energy gain. UT researcher Arend Nijhuis (Energy, Materials & Systems group) explains why this could be a milestone for the future of clean energy – and how the UT contributes to it.

Better diagnosis of rheumatic diseases

Scientists of the UT and VieCuri Medical Centre (Venlo) are improving the diagnosis of crystal-related diseases, like gout. By using their Raman spectroscope, they were able to reliably identify sodium urate crystals in joints, that are associated with gout. ‘In fact, any tissue where some kinds of crystals are formed, can be studied with this method. The potential is enormous!’

Creating awareness around sinkholes

‘Sinkholes can often be caused by damaged sewer pipes. I wanted to show that it is a real problem with a big impact on people’s lives,’ says PhD researcher Hengameh Noshahri. In her study published last week, she explored causes and consequences of sinkholes from the perspective of media.

Ammoniak, troefkaart voor de energietransitie?

Al tijdens zijn stage als chemische technologie student, bij het Deense bedrijf Haldor Topsøe, ondervond UT-promovendus Kevin Rouwenhorst dat er veel mogelijkheden schuilen in ammoniak. Nu wordt dat vooral gebruikt voor het maken van kunstmest, en heeft daarmee een slechte naam. Maar ammoniak is ook een van de zeven chemicaliën die aan de basis staat van alle chemische producten, en het voedt zo’n 50% van de wereldpopulatie.

Ammonia: a trump card for the energy transition process?

During his internship as a Chemical Technology student at Danish company Haldor Topsøe, UT PhD researcher Kevin Rouwenhorst realised the many opportunities offered by ammonia. At the moment, it is principally used to manufacture artificial fertiliser and therefore has a bad name. But ammonia is also one of seven chemicals that form the basis of all chemical products, and it helps to feed around 50% of the world’s population.

Solar cell that can directly convert light into fuel

University of Twente scientists Annemarie Huijser and Kaijian Zhu are developing a new type of solar panel that converts solar energy directly into renewable fuel. This direct conversion has the potential to become more cost-effective than the combination of a conventional solar cell and an electrolyzer.

Training immune cells to kill tumor cells

In the ongoing fight against cancer, UT Professor Jai Prakash and his team developed a new immunotherapeutic method to treat the disease. Using nanotechnology, he managed to reprogram the immune system to effectively fight breast tumors in mice. The revolutionary method is now ready to be further developed for use in humans, and likely against more types of cancer.

Unraveling Earth’s deep secrets

Geophysicist Juan Carlos Afonso, UT’s Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), developed a revolutionary method capable of unraveling what the Earth’s interior is made of and how hot it is. The technique, based on multiple datasets obtained from the Earth’s surface and from satellites, may result in the location of new critical resources as well as suitable sites to extract geothermal energy.

Women’s Health pillar at the UT

‘To empower women through knowledge and innovation’

Did you know that diseases manifest differently in women than in men, and that female patients are more likely to have a negative reaction to medications? In order to provide adequate care for women, a multidisciplinary group of researchers at the University of Twente has formed a new Women’s Health cluster.

De UT-pijler Women’s Health

‘De positie van vrouwen versterken door kennis en innovatie’

Wist je dat ziekten zich bij vrouwen anders manifesteren dan bij mannen? En dat vrouwelijke patiënten vaker slecht op geneesmiddelen reageren? Een multidisciplinaire groep onderzoekers aan de Universiteit Twente werkt in een nieuw cluster Women’s Health aan verbetering van de zorg aan vrouwen.

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