HomeNewsDavid Reinhoudt appointed honorary member of the KNCV

David Reinhoudt appointed honorary member of the KNCV

During the annual Night of Chemistry, the Royal Netherlands Chemical Society (KNCV) made Prof. Dr. MSc. David Reinhoudt an honorary member of this association. Reinhoudt is a former professor of Supramolecular Chemistry and Technology at the University of Twente, and was director of the MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology until 2007.

Great achievements

The KNCV made him an honorary member for his great achievements in the field of supramolecular chemistry. In collaboration with prof. Ben Feringa, prof. Roeland Nolte and prof. Bert Meijer, Reinhoudt makes up the so-called Dutch Golden Quartet in this field. They have played a significant part in the development of this chemical field with which they have put the Netherlands on the international map.

Reinhoudt made an instrumental contribution to the scientific community by linking chemistry to nanotechnology, by construing objects the size of a nanometre according to the so-called ‘bottom-up approach’. He and his group were the first to create these structures by combining various components through supramolecular interactions.

The KNCV also praises his contribution to the future of the discipline. His vision was the base for the NanoNed programme, which had an unprecedented impact on the Dutch chemical community and through which he, as president, played a pioneering role in nanotechnology in the Netherlands.

Top-level position

Reinhoudt joined the University of Twente in 1975. With his research group, he gained an international top-level position, and became the most frequently-cited chemist in the Netherlands for a significant period. Between 1999 and 2007, he was scientific director for the MESA+ Institute. In that year he retired as professor, but he remained active at the university long afterwards.

C.A. van der Kuil (Corjan)
Communication advisor sustainability, energy & environment