Stories of Science

Our researchers work every day on clever solutions for worldwide challenges to change the world and make an impact. Meet our heroes.

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reading time: 5 min

From Lebanon to TU Delft: Ziad Matar's journey to Veridi Technologies

Perseverance and curiosity can take you far, as Ziad Matar proves. He grew up in Lebanon and always dreamed of studying at TU Delft. In 2020, this dream came true. His studies have taught him a lot about entrepreneurship and have also resulted in valuable friendships and connections. He now runs his company, Veridi Technologies, together with co-founder dr. Richard Janissen.
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reading time: 6 min

The Future Ground: Planning cities for an uncertain future

It is estimated that some 5.5 billion people will live in highly vulnerable climate regions by 2050. However, cities are grappling with ways to think and plan for a resilient future. To become resilient to extreme climate disruptions such as flooding and droughts, cities must transform long-term urban planning. With her advisors, Dr Nazli Aydin and Prof. Tina Comes, PhD candidate Supriya Krishnan is developing "The Future Ground": a methodology for long-term urban planning under climate change.

reading time: 4 min

Staying dry thanks to government and the public

Climate change greatly increases the risk of flooding. For his master’s thesis, Jonas Lechner used a smart model to study the role households can play in reducing flood risks in coastal cities. It turns out they can play a big role. His research earned him the title of best graduate of the Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management.

reading time: 4 min

Breaking down barriers to open science step by step

The call for transparency is growing both from within and outside the scientific community. Yet public sharing of research data is not yet taken for granted. Open science advocate Anneke Zuiderwijk is researching and developing tools to help improve sharing, availability and use of data and to make it easier. Thereby, she hopes that the social value of open science will grow and be utilised in more ways.
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InDetail: how algorithms work up to their use in society

How can a computer drive a car or write a news story? What will the impact of all these new techniques be on our lives? And how can we steer those techniques in the right direction? At InDetail, researcher Stefan Buijsman looks at all these questions, from the functioning of algorithms to their use in society.

reading time: 4 min

Safety first: evacuating with common sense

In case of a fire, an attack or other emergency, you want to leave a location as fast as possible. However, it’s often still a good idea to first take a moment to listen to or look at the instructions. But of course the instructions then need to be available. Evacuation expert Natalie van der Wal investigates, with the help of human behaviour and computer simulations, how an evacuation can be organised as efficiently as possible. And how well organised are the evacuation protocols of TU Delft itself for that matter?
Kun je algoritmes wel of niet vertrouwen?

reading time: 7 min

Algorithms: can you trust them or not? - TU Delft Story - Technology, Policy & Management

“Algorithms do not discriminate inherently; the human factor is key – what data we put in, at what point we find an algorithm good enough, when we intervene, and how easy we make it to lodge objections to it.” Assistant professor Stefan Buijsman is exploring how we can use artificial intelligence responsibly. His attitude is positive: “I think that good interaction between AI and people can make our word fairer, cleaner, healthier, and safer.”
Dialoog met bewoners zorgt voor een fijne leefomgeving

reading time: 6 min

Dialogue with residents creates a pleasant living environment

When residents feel connected with their neighbourhood, they feel more responsible for creating a pleasant atmosphere. But how do people connect with their living environment and how can you support that process? This is what Geertje Slingerland researching: "I find it fascinating how people live together in the city and would like to establish a dialogue between policy makers and residents in order to create a pleasant living environment."
De waterstofauto als cruciale schakel in een duurzaam energiesysteem

reading time: 6 min

The hydrogen car as a crucial link in a sustainable energy system

Conventional cars that run on fossil fuels no longer meet today’s needs, certainly not in view of the Dutch government’s target of being CO₂ neutral by 2050. A combination of hydrogen cars and battery electric vehicles, are the way forward as stated by the TPM researcher Samira Farahani. She and other researchers at TU Delft are working on Professor Ad van Wijk’s concept of the 'Car as a power plant' (CaPP). In this concept, hydrogen cars will act as power sources in a sustainable energy system in which electricity from renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power is converted into hydrogen.
Revolutie in modelleren van reisgedrag

reading time: 5 min

A revolution in modelling travel behaviour

How do you get drivers out of their cars? How can you make alternatives, such as public transport and cycling, attractive? ‘People who travel a lot by car develop biased views related to alternatives making them less attractive,’ says Maarten Kroesen, researcher into travel behaviour at TU Delft. His groundbreaking research into attitude and travel behaviour could help to make a difference, but it calls for some serious measures that will make car use unattractive.
Ontwerpen voor duisternis

reading time: 8 min

Designing for darkness

Days are short in December and January, but this does not mean darkness sets in early in the Netherlands. On cloudy nights, light pollution turns the night sky of Delft a bright orange. Let’s start designing for darkness, Dr Taylor Stone proposes in his research.
Tweedeling in klimaatadaptatie voorkomen

reading time: 9 min

Avoiding division in climate adaptation

The government has growing expectations of citizens when it comes to climate adaptation, but not every citizen or neighbourhood is able to live up to these expectations. Neelke Doorn, Professor of Ethics of Water Engineering, is studying ways of avoiding social divides between neighbourhoods.
De verantwoordelijkheidskloof bij zelfrijdende auto's

reading time: 4 min

The responsibility gap with self-driving cars

Who is responsible when self-driving cars are involved in accidents? Recently a self-driving Volvo in Arizona collided with a pedestrian who did not survive the accident. And in 2016 there was a fatal self-driving Tesla incident. Filippo Santoni de Sio of the TU Delft analyses the ethical issues around self-driving cars.