Interview: NWO-I professors on their research for a sustainable future

Daan van Uhm: NSCR and Open University

Urgency of environmental crime chair  

‘Environmental crime concerns things like deforestation, the illegal trade of protected species, pollution and mining,’ says Daan van Uhm. He was appointed professor of environmental crime at the Open University in March 2025. And he simultaneously joined the Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR) in Amsterdam as a researcher. ‘The consequences of environmental crime are more visible than they were before, leading to legislative and regulatory adjustments for environmental protection. The need for criminological interpretation of green crime in a rapidly changing world is of cardinal importance.’ 

Centre of expertise

Part of Daan’s remit involves setting up a Centre of Expertise on Environmental Crime in coordination with the NSCR and the Open University. Other knowledge institutions are also welcome to join. Daan wants the centre to develop into ‘a knowledge and networking hub on green criminology.’ He continues: ‘I’m in talks with other researchers and social partners to define a clear research agenda that will establish our international position as green criminologists.’ With this centre of expertise and chair, the Netherlands is poised to become a global pioneer in environmental crime research. ‘As far as I’m aware, mine is the only environmental crime chair in Europe.’

Spare time

Daan lives in Utrecht and is the father of two young children. When he needs some headspace, he likes to go out for a run. He’s also a music aficionado: ‘I start my working week with a half-hour piano lesson at eight-thirty every Monday morning. It’s very relaxing.’

Laura Villanueva: NIOZ and Utrecht University

Climate change

Laura Villanueva is head of the Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry at the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) and Professor of Marine Microbiology at Utrecht University. Her inaugural lecture in November 2024 underlined the crucial role marine microbes play in sustaining all marine life. Laura’s zeal is obvious when explaining how important these ‘invisible heroes’ are to our survival: ‘There are more microbes in the sea than there are stars in the universe. They feed plankton and can survive almost anything.’

Even so, she notes this impressive evolutionary adaptability doesn’t make them immune to climate change. ‘The seas and oceans are undergoing acidification, warming and oxygen depletion. In some cases, greenhouse-gas producing microbes are emitting more than before, leading to a decline in marine biodiversity over time. Fortunately, there are also microbes that consume greenhouse gases and thus help protect biodiversity.’  

Professorship 

As a professor and NIOZ researcher, Villanueva occupies a key position in international microbiological research in the North Sea. ‘This professorship, created at the end of last year, has given me more scientific visibility. It has also expanded my teaching work. I supervise master’s students and assess doctoral theses as a PhD Assessment Committee member, which is as fun as it is educational.’ 

Texel

Though she grew up in Barcelona, these days Villanueva is proud to call Texel home. ‘I’ve worked at NIOZ since 2009. My colleagues are lovely and helpful and there’s no other research fleet like ours.’ She leaves nearby with her husband and three children. To make her research more tangible, an artist friend of Villanueva’s designed a series of black ceramic objects titled Microbial Prophetesses. ‘They’re a metaphor for marine microorganisms. We exhibited them as part of the Klifhanger art trail in Den Hoorn.’

Valentin Robu: CWI and Eindhoven University of Technology

Energy systems

Valentin Robu is a computer scientist whose research is mostly focused on artificial intelligence (AI) for smart grids and renewable energy integration. With this research, he hopes to help prevent network congestion. In the past year, he started researching how autonomously controlled hydrogen storage and distribution systems can efficiently distribute renewable energy across the electricity grid. Objective? To combat grid congestion. ‘I use artificial intelligence (AI) and multi-agent systems to design models simulating the integration of hydrogen into existing energy systems like smart grids.’ Last year he received a grant for his work from National Growth Fund programme GroenvermogenNL.

As a researcher at the CWI research institute for mathematics and computer science and Professor of Artificial Intelligence for Decentralised Energy Systems at Eindhoven University of Technology, Robu is an authority in his field. ‘But I’m not working alone. GroenvermogenNL is an interdisciplinary programme that also brings in NWO-I researchers from AMOLF and DIFFER. They’re investigating the physical aspects of hydrogen storage, while I’m looking into the control side.’ Artificial intelligence offers a useful tool, according to Valentin: ‘AI can instantaneously simulate complex system scenarios. That’s obviously much cheaper than physical testing, so AI is significantly speeding developments.’  

Professorship benefits

Robu says there are clear benefits to his appointment as a professor at Eindhoven University of Technology. ‘There’s a pool of talented, ambitious students here, leading to productive collaborations. PhD students are also contributing to my research, for example.’ His network and prestige have gotten a boost as well. ‘At Eindhoven, I have much more insight into new projects and developments. My professorship is also good for CWI’s role nationally, of course, and I hope that, going forward, it will become a recognised international authority for maths and AI research in the sustainable energy niche as well.’

Diversity

A native of Romania, Robu did research at the University of Southampton (UK), Heriot-Watt University (Edinburgh) and Princeton University (New Jersey) and mentors students from all over the globe. He enjoys reading science fiction and historical novels. And he loves to travel. ‘I've travelled to Asian countries like India, China and Japan. And more recently I have visited several Latin-American countries, such as Guatemala and Mexico.’ At NWO-I he’s also affiliated with PRISMA, the LGBTIQA+ employee resource group, and recognises the value of the range of ERGs. ‘Diverse people means diverse perspectives, and this enriches science both creatively and organisationally.’

Professors at NWO-I

All of our institutes work closely with universities in the Netherlands and abroad. NWO-I is made up of over 100 professors employed at national institutes and universities. This past spring, NWO-I adopted a new professorial policy. Read more about it in our news archive: New procedure for nomination and appointment of professors at NWO-I.

Joint vision

In July, NWO-I and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences (KNAW) published a joint vision statement presenting the social and scientific added value of their twenty-two national research institutes and shared professorships. Also see the news item.

Text: Martijn Maatkamp

Newsletter Inside NWO-I, July 2025
You can find the archive of the newsletter Inside NWO-I on the NWO-I website.