Berend van der Meer wins Unilever Research Prize

This prize is awarded annually to outstanding students in the fields of chemistry, biology, biotechnology, mechanical engineering, agricultural science, and social science. Berend receives his prize for his master thesis, carried out in the Laboratory of Physical Chemistry and Colloid Science, under the supervision of Dr. Joris Sprakel and Prof. Jasper van der Gucht.

During his thesis work, Berend performed very original experiments on colloidal crystals, using an experimental set-up that he constructed himself. This allowed him to obtain new, fundamental insights into the stability of crystalline solids. Berend presented his work in the form of an article that was published recently in the prestigious journal PNAS. In September, he graduated cum laude from his study program Molecular Life Sciences, and recently he started as a PhD student at Utrecht University.

The prize will be awarded in an official ceremony on November 27th at Unilever R&D in Vlaardingen.

Read the full publication Highly cooperative stress relaxation in two-dimensional soft colloidal crystals on PNAS, 2014 Oct 28; 111: 15356-15361. doi:10.1073/pnas.1411215111