Bert Meijer receives the title of Commander from the Order of the Netherlands Lion
Exceptional royal distinction that is sporadically awarded, for example to Nobel Prize winners.
Bert Meijer was honored today the title Commander of the Order of the Netherlands Lion by the Mayor of Waalre Jan Brenninkmeijer. Only nine others have received this royal distinction in the last twenty years. Three of them were also scientists, and all Nobel Prize winners: Ben Feringa, Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov. Meijer was praised for being a world-leading top scientist in organic chemistry and for his pioneering research on supramolecular polymers, which are used, among other things, in the medical field.
In a fully-packed Blauwe Zaal, during a special symposium organized by alumni and researchers from his research group, Professor Bert Meijer was awarded the star of Commander in the Order of the Dutch Lion,the Dutch order of chivalry founded by King William I in 1815. This title is only awarded to someone who "has demonstrated a competence that is considerably greater than society might expect of him or her".
According to the official guideline, this includes "persons with special talents and persons who have realised achievements with a social impact, such as groundbreaking (scientific) work." In addition, the director of the Institute for Complex Molecular Systems Jan Van Hest also announced that the ICMS Advanced Study Center will be named, as of today, after prof. Meijer.
Landmarks in supramolecular chemistry
“Meijer's discoveries on supramolecular polymers are landmarks in supramolecular chemistry”, says Mayor Brenninkmeijer. “Today”, he continues, “the concept of supramolecular polymers is investigated in many international academic and industrial laboratories. The Meijer lab has successfully started the company SupraPolix, offering a supramolecular polymer platform as a key component in several applications, including regenerative medicine of heart valves, for which clinical trials are underway by the Dutch/Swiss company Xeltis.”
Pioneer
“The first time I had made a molecule that nobody else had ever made before, I was so excited and I thought, this is what I want to do for the rest of my life: working with molecules”. A promise that prof. Meijer turned into reality, by becoming a pioneer in the field of supramolecular materials. He has been one of the first chemists to explore and develop functional supramolecular polymers as a new class of materials.
Meijer has published over 600 peer reviewed research articles and reviews that have been cited more than 60.000 times. Throughout his career, Meijer has received numerous prominent awards, such as the Gold Medal of the Royal Netherlands Chemical Society (1993), the Spinoza Award of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (2001) and the honorary membership from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2019).
Royal distinctions at tu/E
Earlier this year, Professor Ton Backx was named Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion at his departure. Last year, former TU/e board members Jan Mengelers and Jo van Ham received the distinction of Officer and Knight respectively in the Order of Orange-Nassau.