Research News

TU Delft handhaaft zich in de top-50 van in de 21ste editie van de gezaghebbende QS World University Ranking (2025) en bevindt zich daarmee in de top 4% van de hoogst scorende universiteiten in de wereld. TU Delft behaalt positie 49 in de jongste ranglijst, het op één na beste resultaat sinds TU Delft deelneemt aan deze ranking (beste resultaat was positie 47 vorig jaar).

At around 20.30 on Monday evening, the police ended the occupation of the Mechanical Engineering building by around 30 protesters who refused to leave the building voluntarily at closing time. Earlier in the day, the demonstrators were made aware of the closing time and possible consequences, and given the option to continue demonstrating outside. This was not heeded. The camp, which has been set up between the auditorium and the library since last Thursday, has not been removed. The demonstration will continue there, as long as it is peaceful and respectful.

The first year of the Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering includes three design subjects in which the students work independently. Almost 800 students need parts, tools and guidance. Project teachers are indispensable in this regard. They help the students to put their own ideas into practice.

A research consortium from TU Delft and Leiden University receives an NWO Summit Grant of 35 million euros, as a long-term support and to continue their prominent role internationally. They aim to investigate the fundamental limits of quantum physics. In total five consortia from different Dutch universities will receive a total of 188 million euros to strengthen the position of Dutch science.

New findings from a spaceborne monitoring team of University of Houston, TU Delft and DLR indicates the collapse of the Kakhovka Dam in Ukraine may have been already ongoing before the war with Russia, with deformations in the dam pre-dating the actual collapse. The results were published in the journal Nature Communications Earth and Environment this month.

For Marjan Popov it is clear: our society is at a crossroads. “We are undertaking perhaps the biggest engineering challenge of our time – we are radically changing the electricity grids.” According to him, the complexity of the electricity grids is comparable to the human body. “Similar to how patients are treated, in terms of taking care of their health, we should always monitor, control, and protect the electricity grids. I make this comparison because both the human body and the electricity grid are vulnerable to many different diseases, or disturbances, and some of them can have serious consequences. Therefore, undertaking comprehensive security and safety measures is an essential part of our energy transition.”

“What is life? How does a living cell emerge from lifeless molecules?” wondered a multidisciplinary team of Dutch scientists. To answer these questions the research team, led by the TU Delft, aims to build a living synthetic cell from lifeless biomolecules, using laboratory evolution and artificial intelligence for the first time. The ten-year research programme to do so, entitled “Evolving life from non-life” or simply “EVOLF”, was awarded 40 million euro by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) as part of the Summit grants scheme.

Researchers from TU Delft and Brown University have engineered string-like resonators capable of vibrating longer at ambient temperature than any previously known solid-state object — approaching what is currently only achievable near absolute zero temperatures. Their study, published in Nature Communications, pushes the edge of nanotechnology and machine learning to make some of the world’s most sensitive mechanical sensors.

TU Delft is one of the academic partners in an innovative aviation hydrogen handling and refuelling project, led by Airbus and supported by academic partners, airport operators and leading hydrogen-industry companies that was launched on 16 May in Brussels. The project, co-funded by the European Union, has been launched to demonstrate small-scale liquid hydrogen aircraft ground operations at three European airports, including Rotterdam The Hague Airport.

A team of researchers at Delft University of Technology has developed a drone that flies autonomously using neuromorphic image processing and control based on the workings of animal brains. Animal brains use less data and energy compared to current deep neural networks running on GPUs (graphic chips).

In a dynamic collaboration between academia and young minds, 12 enthusiastic children from a school in Delft recently embarked on an enriching journey into the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). This event was part of the project “Bliksemstage” of JINC organisation.