News

Maastricht University received grants for three of the ten research projects starting in the National Growth Fund program Circular Plastics NL.  

UM alumni Brian and Rob Timmermans combined their degrees in Econometrics and Sustainable Finance with their passion for karate, resulting in an ever-expanding trophy collection. Both brothers are multi-time and reigning Dutch champions in their respective weight classes and have achieved success on the international stage. “Doing karate is like solving a complex maths problem.”

"I am proud that our new Circular Plastics group published its first completely in-house research," Kim Ragaert says. She founded the research group three years ago, when she moved to Maastricht. Her work has laid the foundations for many innovations in the field of plastic recycling, and she is currently developing a research facility that will bring the plastic recycling world together. All in all, it is the perfect moment for her inaugural speech on July 4th.

Article  "T. rex is Fierce, T. rex is Charismatic, T. rex is Litigious: Disruptive Objects in Affective Desirescapes" by Donna Yates and Emily Peacock presenting T. rex fossils as disruptive objects that can drastically influence the actions and reactions of humans that encounter them.

Emily O’Reilly has held the position of EU Ombudsman for over a decade, ensuring the transparency of the EU institutions by investigating high-profile cases of maladministration and promoting good governance. On June 20, 2024, she gave a keynote address at the conference “Between narratives and reality: The EU at the gates of a new mandate,” organized by The Faculty of Law and Studio Europa Maastricht of Maastricht University. The ombudsman touched on the most concerning topics in the context of the recent EU Parliament elections, exploring what the outcomes of these votes indicate and how the battle of pro-EU and anti-EU visions will impact the future of the alliance. In her interview with Studio Europa Mrs. O’Reilly explained why she still believes in the legacy of the Maastricht Treaty, and how she views the main task of her office.

ROA publishes new research on international students' stay rates and impact on labor market estimates

Emilie Sitzia explores how to (re)integrate our eight senses into Problem-Based Learning.

Imagine this: as a newly graduated master's student, you get to share the insights you gained during your research at an international conference. This happened to Bram Mennen. At the end of June 2024, he presented the results of his thesis on the training data of top cyclist Annemiek van Vleuten at the Science in Cycling Conference in Florence. 

In the ever-evolving landscape of research and politics, the concept of purposive transformations has been growing in importance over the past years. However, the literature on transformations is diverse, lacking coherence, and necessitating better theorisation and cross-fertilisation. Typically, the term "transformations" is used in opposition to a past situation or future scenarios that differ significantly from the present.

This blog post delves into various meanings of the term across different fields, including sociotechnical system transitions, socio-ecological transformation, transformative social innovation, urban transformations, governance of transformations, and political economy. For those interested in delving deeper, a reading group on transformation mechanisms and patterns will start after the summer.

Moving on your own to a new country with a different culture and language and without a support network can be challenging. Master's student Beverlianne Green therefore quickly realised she wanted to get involved with the local community.  Through the Personal & Professional Development Portal of Maastricht University she found Serve the City. Serve the City focuses on connecting people. Those who are struggling can rely on the volunteers of Serve the City. Whether it is large projects or small gestures, almost nothing is too much.