Proud. That feeling prevails for TU Eindhoven professor Bert Meijer (68) when he looks back at all the students he supervised during their PhD trajectories. The counter has now passed the 100 mark, which is unique. “But the downside about it being so much fun is that it also comes to an end one day,” he says.
As a professor, Meijer deals with molecular systems, or simply put: how to recreate something with those ultra-small particles that resembles nature as closely as possible. “Think of heart valves, which are now being made by a company in Eindhoven. And with a professor in Tokyo, I am working on a material that is completely biodegradable in seawater. That could one day put an end to all those microparticles in the ocean.”
The passion with which Meijer talks about his profession is the same passion with which he has supervised PhD students for over thirty years now. Something that is done slightly differently nowadays compared to those early years. “Back then, hardly any research was being done in this field. I was really busy 24/7 to get everything up and running. Nowadays, our research groups have a great reputation in the world and things go a lot more smoothly.
Magic limit
And so now the magic limit of 100 PhD students has been reached, something no other professor at TU Eindhoven managed to do before. Meijer himself had known for some time that the special milestone was coming. “When I once won an important award, I received a piece of art to go with it. An etching, called The Chemist. I thought: if someone ever gets a PhD with me, he’ll get something like that too.”
And so it happened. “It first started with etchings too, later with screen prints. All these were made by my wife, who numbered them. That way I never have to think what kind of gift I’m giving someone. It ensures that I don’t spend just a bit more money on a student I get along with very well.”
Professors
To be precise, the counter now stands at 102. How many more to come? “That’s not really important to me at all. It is simply wonderful to see those youngsters grow tremendously in a few years. But the downside of deriving so much joy from this wonderful work is that one day it will come to an end. Next year I will be seventy. When exactly I will stop, I dare not say, but I won’t die in my boots.
“Either way: what will remain is the sense of pride. “Five of my PhD students are now professors in Eindhoven, others are at universities in Switzerland or Madrid, for example, and still others are doing well in industry.” Smiling: “I may not be the brightest or best professor at TU Eindhoven, but I am the most successful.”
Source: Studio040
Translator: Martijn
