Vincent Voet, Professor of Circular Plastics, is ranked among the global frontrunners in sustainable materials research. Over the past few years, he has won multiple awards and is internationally recognised as a scientific talent in the field of sustainable plastics. His positioning paper “People. Planet. Polymer. A World to Gain” was described as both controversial and groundbreaking.
What makes Vincent’s work stand out is the way he combines fundamental research with practice-based innovation.
Together with the University of Groningen’s research group Macromolecular Chemistry & New Polymeric Materials, he co-founded the Netherlands’ first hybrid research group (combining universities of applied sciences and research universities): HyBRIt. The initiative was awarded the NWO Team Science Award.
Some highlights of his achievements:
The development of a recyclable bio-membrane was voted Best Tech Idea of 2021 by the readers of KIJK magazine.
In 2022, he was named Rising Star by the scientific journal ACS Materials for his research on circular plastics for 3D printing.
In 2023, he was nominated by New Scientist as Science Talent of the Year, finishing second in the final.
In 2024, he received the prestigious Polymers Young Investigator Award and was appointed a Fellow of the Netherlands Academy of Engineering (NAE).
Research Group: Circular Plastic
Plastics are unique, versatile materials that help keep us healthy, safe and warm. From heart catheters and seatbelts to cavity wall insulation. It’s hard to imagine a world without them. The challenge? To make plastics truly circular and sustainable.
Projects
Podcast NHL Stenden Onderzoekt: Are plastics really that bad?
What if we told you that plastic isn’t automatically the villain it’s made out to be? While plastics are often criticised and even banned by campaigns and consumer groups, Vincent Voet argues for a more balanced view. In this podcast episode, he joins bathroom entrepreneur Rik Heerema and alumna Mei-Lin Germs to discuss the positive side of this much-debated material. Listen to the podcast!
Publications
3CRA:
Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS) https://www.sciencelink.net/nieuws/kogelwerende-vesten-recyclen-in-de-magnetron/22578.article (NL)
Biottek: https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2024/gc/d4gc01512f (ENG)