Academic Awards 2023 booklet

3 Our university is built on passion. On and off our campus a lot of students and researchers do what they do because they believe it’s right. Because they know not doing anything is unthinkable. They always follow their passion, write down a thing or two that may be of use for later generations and create value for society by turning their knowledge into system and technological innovation. It is in the DNA of our university, it is who we are. The bright minds you will read about in this booklet are doing nothing but follow their passion. These students and young researchers are the greatest research talent our university has to offer. In each category – BSc thesis, MSc thesis, PDEng thesis, and PhD thesis – one of them will receive the award. But just to be nominated is already a huge achievement. Every nominee was selected within their own department or from their bachelor/graduate program from an extensive pool of outstanding theses. The juries were impressed by the quality of the work submitted and enjoyed reading the different studies. Topics varied greatly, but all were highly relevant to society and business. The whole TU/e community, including myself, is so extremely proud of what these students and young researchers achieved. I know that working in an academic context is sometimes quite a struggle and asks a lot of persistence. People studying and working at the university are often critical towards themselves, their colleagues, and the world. But what these nominees do, does matter. It is truly nice to see so many talented people who really did nice and important things, who are not complaining from behind their computer screen like so many others do, but achieved something. And it is with great pleasure that we honor those people. We all value these and all the other people because of what they do, the connections they make and the values they radiate in our vibrant community. Because that is what matters, that one can stimulate or infect others with their own passion for research. These rewards are for all the passionate people that love what they do and make our campus community a better place to live. Prof.Dr. Silvia Lenaerts Rector Magnificus Eindhoven University of Technology