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.

Discover their stories

Or read more

Highlighted story

reading time: 5 min

A digital product passport for a circular economy

From 2027, various products in the EU must have a Digital Product Passport (DPP). TU Delft scientist Jolien Ubacht is conducting research on where companies can obtain this data and how they can incorporate it into the passport.
Oops, an error occurred! Code: 20240503120711e6b8d256

Search by subject / researcher

[Translate to English:]

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.
Veerkrachtig watermanagement in India door adaptieve beleidsanalyse

reading time: 8 min

Resilient water management in India through adaptive policy analysis

Over the last decade, uncontrolled growth has transformed rural villages around major cities in India into peri-urban areas. The original water infrastructure in these agriculture-dependent villages is ill equipped to cope and this is creating tensions. Together with local stakeholders, researchers Leon Hermans and Sharlene Gomes are taking stock of vulnerabilities and opportunities for adaptive water management for sustainable development of the areas.
Meer grip op onvoorspelbare energietransitie met Gridmaster

reading time: 4 min

More grip on the unpredictable energy transition with GridMaster

What kind of investments are needed in the Port of Rotterdam’s energy infrastructure to ensure a successful energy transition? A consortium of grid operators, government bodies, port companies and research organisations have joined forces to launch the GridMaster HIC (port industrial cluster) project. “GridMaster is a multi-model method that supports the exploration of robust investments, regret minimisation and various perspectives. Organisations can use it in their decision-making processes, thereby ensuring that the energy transition can take place in the best, most effective and most acceptable way possible,” says Igor Nikolic, a researcher at TU Delft.
Analyse van brandweeroproepen op oudejaarsavond op basis van open-sourcedata

reading time: 4 min

Analysing firefighter calls on New Year’s Eve with open source data

At present an active societal debate is going on in the Netherlands whether consumer fireworks should be banned. This debate follows from increasing violence directed at first aid responders, annually increasing arson and damage to public and private property. Researchers Mikhail Sirenko, Trivik Verma, and Igor Nikolic analysed firefighter calls to support the debate with facts and figures.