Editorial Team

The chips in your phone, the sustainable packaging of your shampoo bottle, the bridge you cycle over every day, or the smart lights in your house — we often don’t realise how much technology is behind the things we use daily. How do those chips make your phone respond so quickly? What makes packaging environmentally friendly? How does a bridge stay sturdy, and what innovations power smart lighting? If you’re curious about the technology behind everyday objects and want to learn how to create such innovations yourself, a technical study might be perfect for you. But which programme suits you best?

Foam is everywhere around us, even though we often don’t notice it. Think of the cushioning in your headphones, the seat of your desk chair, your car seat, and even your shoes. However, that also means a lot of foam ends up in landfills, and production dramatically impacts the environment.

UT PhD candidate Thomas Leigh Hackett has devised a way to improve the air speed measurements of a so-called flow sensor by as much as 511%. This could lead to better sensors for horticulture and better air flow in data centers.

Imagine a digital flower that blooms when you hit your daily excercise goal or wilts when you miss a medication dose. Creative technology like this, designed by students and researchers at the University of Twente, is part of the network of the expertise Centre for Remote Monitoring & Coaching (eCMC), an initiative of TechMed Centre of University of Twente.

The smartphone in your pocket and other electronic devices are packed with microchips. With a huge demand for smartphones, computers, and other smart technologies, there is a global shortage of these chips. Production processes simply cannot keep pace with the immense demand. But why does making a computer chip take so long?

Some researchers start their PhD to contribute to fundamental research, while others dream of starting their own company based on their research. Keerthivasan Rajamani (Keerthi for short) was one of those entrepreneurial researchers. He founded UT spin-off Flawless Flow Pumps based on his research on magnetic pumps. He shares his journey from researcher to entrepreneur.

Every year, cardiovascular disease impacts over 126 million people worldwide. In the quest for effective treatments, researchers are tirelessly working to develop better solutions. However, current animal and test-tube models often fall short in predictive accuracy. Prof. Dr. Robert Passier is at the forefront of this research, combining advanced technologies to create innovative human heart models that function like real human hearts. This groundbreaking invention could lead to safer medications and reduced reliance on animal testing in research.

When performing certain surgeries, such as skin transplantations, it’s essential to monitor blood flow. Sufficient blood flow indicates whether or not the skin is alive. Surgeons currently determine this blood flow by a green dye injection and visual examination with the naked eye. To make this process more accurate and effective, UT spin-off Twente Medical Optics developed a handheld device to measure the blood flow during and after surgery. CEO Kiki Liu shares the story of their innovation.

Imagine: you’re at a festival, and your phone always has full signal. No more slow internet or apps that won’t load. Sounds like a dream, right? Lotte Weedage, a PhD candidate at the University of Twente, is researching ways to improve the mobile network in the Netherlands, so this could become a reality.

At Citizen Farm Herenboeren Usseler Es, farmers are exploring how data can help them adapt to climate change challenges, such as unpredictable weather and longer growing seasons. Researchers from the University of Twente are helping by providing them with more precise data for better-informed farming decisions. The goal is to enhance local food production while offering valuable insights for farms around the world.

If we continue like this, ICT applications will account for no less than twenty percent of our total electricity consumption by 2030. Data centers, AI, the many millions of questions we ask Google every day... It takes an enormous amount of computing power and therefore energy. This can and must change, agrees Professor Wilfred van der Wiel of the University of Twente.

The Netherlands faces a water crisis: too much water, a shortage of water, agricultural fertilisers, and industrial pollution such as PFAS and medicine residues threaten our drinking water supply. Some new businesses are already denied drinking water connections; new residential areas may soon meet the same fate. It is crucial to invest in water technology for a sustainable future.

Within innovation cluster MedTech Twente, people are working on tomorrow's healthcare. UT alumnus Gabriel Costa and Stephanie Jansen, founders of spin-off company J58, talk about the importance of patient-centred innovations, the ecosystem in Twente and making an impact.

Within a newly funded project SepsPIC (Highly multiplexed photonics integrated circuit (PIC) sensors for the rapid diagnostics of sepsis), UT Professor Sonia García Blanco and her colleagues are working on a novel device for fast and accurate detection of sepsis. ‘If we are successful, it could dramatically decrease mortality among patients.’

The greatest athletes are awarded medal after medal at the Paris Olympics. At the same time, very small athletes in Twente are imitating them. In MESA+'s Nanolab, a group of enthusiastic PhD students are making Olympians-on-a-chip. They organise the Nanolympics. The best sports fragments are given a place on chips measuring just five by five millimetres.

Imagine sipping your favourite beer from a cup made of sewage sludge. Researchers at the University of Twente are making it a reality. A team of Profs. Jeroen Cornelissen, Frederik Wurm, and Boelo Schuur are investigating a new process for converting waste materials into bioplastics with the help of bacteria that feed on what people discard daily.

Mass evictions, daily power outages, and pitch-black streets at night: the challenges that people in the Global South face remain largely overlooked. How can satellite imagery uncover the hidden realities of urbanisation? Prof. Dr. Monika Kuffer’s research strives to spotlight urban inequalities and prompt policymakers to take action.

Welcome to Q&AI! A series in which we ask ChatGPT to come up with a bunch of study- and less study-related questions for our students. Lazy? Maybe. Fun? Yes. Surprising? Definitely! In this video: Joris, Creative Technology student.

Ensuring access to specialist care at peak periods is challenging, especially in sparsely populated areas with fewer available healthcare specialists. Project BRIDGE tries to tackle this issue in an unconventional way: hospitals in the German-Dutch border region are joining forces to share healthcare personnel. As simple as this sounds, is it so in practice?

We are living in the Plastic Age, such is the ubiquity of plastics in our lives. The plastic waste in water ecosystems alone is expected to nearly triple from 11 million tonnes in 2016 to 29 million tonnes in 2040*. Biodegradable materials, such as polylactic acid, are seen as an alternative for use in packaging, agriculture, and medical devices. But how biodegradable are these materials in reality? Could they be the plastics of the future?

Getting smarter, stronger and faster with technology. That is what UT professor Herman van der Kooij and his team are researching every day. At 'Universiteit van Nederland', he talks about the bionic man.

How can we make our holidays more sustainable? A question that concerns many engineers, scientists, and citizens. Emissions need to decrease, but in the aviation industry, that's not so simple yet. Research at the University of Twente is investigating a promising technology that could lead to hydrogen-powered airplanes: cryogenic superconductivity.

Unsustainable development leads to resource scarcity and endangers our future. The traditional take-make-use-dispose in linear economy causes pressure on supply chains. The only way forward according to Devrim Yazan? A sustainable circular economy. But how do you educate students about the complexity of this sustainability approach?

As a bachelor's student, you have quite some freedom of choice during your studies. In your third year, for example, during your elective space. While it can be great to have such freedom, it can also cause some stress. Because how do you fill that elective space? Will you go in-depth on a specific subject within your study programme, or do you want to broaden your scope and take subjects from another study programme? You might prefer to do an internship and gain work experience. Or will you go abroad for six months? Choices, choices, choices. Let us help you out with an overview of all of your options!

Welcome to Q&AI! A series in which we ask ChatGPT to come up with a bunch of study- and less study-related questions for our students. Lazy? Maybe. Fun? Yes. Surprising? Definitely! In this video: Diana, Educational Science & Technology student.

Starting as an international student in a country you don't know can be daunting. As an upcoming student of the University of Twente, it starts with travelling to the Netherlands. How do you travel from Eindhoven Airport to the campus? We will help you on your way!

That the job market is changing drastically due to technological advances is no secret. The dystopian scenario that robots and artificial intelligence will take over all our jobs seems closer than ever. Fortunately, more and more new - perhaps still a little futuristic - professions are also emerging, which you may well end up practising as a graduate!

Whether you’re going to discuss your salary, close a deal with a client as an entrepreneur or simply want to bargain while on holiday: negotiation is a valuable skill. Why not work on it during your time as a student? In this article, student negotiator Richard will tell us all about why and how you can level up your negotiation skills before starting your professional career.

Most of us have done it, walking through familiar streets or looking at your own house with a street view service. Now imagine doing this with a complete virtual replica. Every street, every car, every person walking to their work is meticulously simulated. This is a city digital twin. Discover how researchers at the Digital Twin Geohub of the University of Twente are transforming urban planning – one virtual city at a time.

By 2050, nearly 70% of the world's population will live in cities1. Urban planning decisions made today have a critical impact on the future, which means there is less room for trial and error. How can we address the increase in urban populations and make future cities more sustainable?

Have you decided to study abroad in the Netherlands? Congratulations! An exciting adventure is ahead of you. But first, it’s time to arrange the practical matters like applying for university: a time-consuming task that you want to start with early on. But how? In this article, you’ll find all you need to know about applying to the University of Twente. Are you Dutch? Then check out our Dutch article on applying for university.

A looming shortage of clean drinking water is screaming for innovations in water treatment. The Waterlab of the Membrane Science and Technology cluster gives an insight into possible solutions.

Lee Calladine has been diabetic for 25 years and the insulin top-up routine is so familiar to him that he’s long past feeling squeamish about piercing his skin. Still, the practice is burdensome. Scientists at the TechMed Centre of the University of Twente are closing in on a pain-free method for people like Calladine.

Every resident of Twente knows them: the trucks of waste collector Twente Milieu driving through the streets to empty the green, orange or grey minicontainer. To ensure that the rubbish trucks empty the five million minicontainers annually as efficiently as possible, perfect route planning is needed.

Welcome to Q&AI! A series in which we ask ChatGPT to come up with a bunch of study- and less study-related questions for our students. Lazy? Maybe. Fun? Yes. Surprising? Definitely! In this video: Nils, Communication Science student.

Bitcoin, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and other popular blockchain innovations represent our shift to a digital society. But this transition comes at a cost. The emissions generated by these blockchain technologies from the year 2021 alone are responsible for around 19,000 future deaths. This alarming statistic raises many questions: How is this possible and what can we do about it?

Enter the fascinating world of medical science with this digital tour of the University of Twente's TechMed Centre!

A surgeon swimming through your body, it sounds like science fiction now, but it might be closer than you think. At the TechMed Centre at the University of Twente, tiny robots were already swimming through a detached aorta with kidneys. Discover the future of vascular surgery.

University of Twente startup STERN Motorcycles, unveils a revolutionary electric enduro motorcycle with a distinctive interchangeable battery pack. Their mission? A motorcycle world that embraces electric riding.

Is 'band syndrome' (bloating after eating) a medical condition or a psychological problem? That question has occupied medical science for decades. Prof Bob Geelkerken, professor at the TechMed Centre at the University of Twente and surgeon at Medisch Spectrum Twente, uses a special method to dispel the question marks once and for all: fake surgery.

For years, we've diligently sorted our waste, but a significant portion of the waste stream remains (yet) unrecyclable. The University of Twente, in collaboration with companies, is researching how to create new products from complex and 'wet' waste streams. This involves efficiently isolating chemical components used in new materials. The multi-year project ReBBloCS - Renewable Building Blocks from Complex and Wet Waste - began last year with a subsidy of €3.8 million from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency.

Smartwatches that map loneliness among students with specific needs, such as autism. Thanks to UT professor Carolien Rieffe and her team, this will soon be a reality. Carolien received a substantial sum of money from science financier NWO for the Building 4 Belonging project.

If a family member has an inherited heart condition, there is a chance that you have it too. Usually, you will then receive a letter with information and an invitation for an interview about possible DNA testing. Researchers at the University of Twente are now testing whether they can approach people via a virtual doctor.

The Netherlands has been fighting a battle against water for centuries. This symbolism of water as the enemy was popular among 20th-century engineers. In the 21st century, there is more focus on natural processes, and we speak of water management instead. But what will the Dutch water landscape look like in another century?

Can we limit global warming to 1.5 oC? Unlikely, if you'd ask Debra Roberts. The co-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is already brainstorming about a plan B. What could be our next steps?

Brace yourself for a mind-boggling journey into the tiny world of nanotechnology. This research area focuses on materials existing of just a few atoms or small molecules. Sometimes, the smallest structures hold the key to groundbreaking advancements. On this scale, the world doesn't follow the same rules.

We're a few months into the new year and that can only mean one thing... failed New Year's Resolutions. Where on the 1st of January, exercising more seemed such a good prospect, motivation is now nowhere to be found. Do you also dread making yet another trip to the gym or the football pitch? Then try one of the rather unconventional sports the University of Twente has to offer instead!

Student life isn't always sunshine and rainbows. Let's face it - especially regarding finances, there's often room for improvement... In this article, you'll find eight money-saving tips for students, so you won’t have to survive on instant noodles for the rest of the month (yes, we've been there).

Whether you've known what you want to study ever since you were 14 or you’re about to graduate secondary school and still have no idea: one thing is for sure, sometimes choosing a study feels like the most important decision of your life. Fortunately, it's not that bad, but with so many options for study programmes and universities all over the world, you need to make it as easy as possible for yourself. In this article, we discuss five key questions you should ask yourself while searching for a study!

Our world is changing rapidly: by the time you graduate, the world may look very different! All the more important it is to not only earn your credits during your studies, but also to invest in yourself and your skills. Therefore, in this article, we discuss the 6 most important 21st-century skills you can start learning during your studies!

When you think of a technical university, you probably think of studies such as Civil Engineering, Computer Science or Electrical Engineering. But did you know that at the University of Twente - a technical university - you can also study social sciences?