About Wilhelm
In 2010, after more than a decade at the University of Cambridge and promoted to professor of polymer science, Wilhelm Huck returned to the Netherlands to ‘learn a new language’. Having become increasingly intrigued by the complexity of cellular life, he decided to dedicate his research efforts to unravel the mystery of how chemistry creates biology. All too soon, it became clear that life is a rather complex phenomenon, requiring a diverse and highly talented team of collaborators. He feels privileged to be surrounded by a group of clever and motivated young scientists, and to learn new things every day. When not in the lab, he enjoys gardening, baking, good food and wine, and traveling around the world.
Academic Positions:
| 2010 – | Professor of Chemistry, Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University Nijmegen |
| 2007 – 2012 | Professor of Macromolecular Chemistry, University of Cambridge |
| 2004 – 2010 | Director, Melville Laboratory for Polymer Synthesis, University of Cambridge |
| 2003 – 2007 | Reader in Chemistry, University of Cambridge |
| 1999 – 2009 | College Lecturer and Fellow of Gonville and Caius College |
| 1999 – 2003 | University Lecturer. University of Cambridge, UK |
Education:
| 1997 – 1999 | Postdoctoral Research, Harvard University, USA. Supervisor: Prof. G. M. Whitesides |
| 1992 – 1997 | Ph.D. in Chemistry, Twente University, the Netherlands. Supervisor: Prof. D. N. Reinhoudt |
| 1988 – 1992 | M.Sc. in Chemistry (cum laude). Leiden University, the Netherlands. |
Honors
| 2019 | ERC Advanced Grant |
| 2018 | Appointed Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion |
| 2017 | Elected to the Academia Europaea |
| 2017 | Co-PI on 18.8 M€ Gravitation Grant ‘Building a Synthetic Cell’. |
| 2016 | Spinoza Prize (highest academic honor in the Netherlands) |
| 2012 | Elected to the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) |
| 2011 | NWO-Vici award |
| 2010 | ERC Advanced Grant |
| 2009 | Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award of the Humboldt Foundation |
| 2004 | DuPont Young Professor Award |
| 2001 | Young Investigator Medal of the Royal Society of Chemistry, MacroGroup UK |
| 1997 | DSM Award for best Ph.D. research in the Netherlands in polymer-related chemistry |
| 1996 | Schloeßmann Award from the Max Planck Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften |
| 1992 | Winner of the Shell International Business Competition |
Editorial and Advisory Boards
| 2018 – | Chair of ChemSystemsChem’s Editorial Advisory Board |
| 2017 – | Advisory Board Member of the Australian Institute for BioNanotechnology, University of Queensland |
| 2015 – 2017 | Vice-chair of Scientific Advisory Board MaxSynBio, Germany |
| 2014 | Editorial Executive Board of Advanced Science (Wiley) |
| 2007 – 2010 | Chairman of the Editorial Board of Chemical Society Reviews (RSC) |
| 2005 – 2010 | Editorial Advisory Board of Soft Matter (RSC) |
| 2004 – 2015 | International Advisory Board Advanced Functional Materials |
Secondary activities
| 2019 – | Chair of the Dutch Chemistry Council |
| 2017 – | Co-Founder Cytofind Diagnostics (now Lighthouse Biotech) |
| 2017 | Member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) |
| 2016 – 2018 | Board member of the Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University |
| 2010 | Co-Founder and Scientific Advisory Board Sphere Fluidics U.K. |