2013 Radboud University Nijmegen 2013 Research Report The cover photograph represents a ‘magical’ text that is part of HS 194, a late medieval English manuscript in the collection of the Nijmegen University Library. The first lines of this manuscript state that the charm was written by “our Lord’s fingers” and found by Joseph of Barmaphe – a misinterpretation of the Latin ‘Ioseph ab Arimathea’ – when he took Christ down from the cross. It goes on to offer protection against all kinds of dangers to anyone wearing this charm on their body. The charm itself consists of Latin formulas and a list of divine names. Within this manuscript there are also a number of vernacular texts that are not found in any other manuscript in the world, as well as more charms and some religious texts. Dr Sandor Chardonnens (Assistant Professor of English Language and Culture) and Rosanne Hebing, MA (Assistant Professor of Old and Middle English) have recently published on the manuscript – and on this particular charm. The entire 15th century English manuscript (HS 194;125x85 mm), which is entitled Liber precum, is available online at: http://wwwextern.ubn.ru.nl/BookReader/ MMUBN000008_Hs%20194/#page/8/ mode/2up Editors Chris Mollema: Strategy & Development Photo editing Communication Office Translation & Text consultancy Michael Gould Associates BV, Arnhem Graphic design gloedcommunicatie, Nijmegen Print Van Eck & Oosterink Photography Bert Beelen Dick van Aalst Edgar Wills Erik van ’t Hullenaar Gerard Verschooten Mark Dingemanse Hollandse Hoogte - Bert Spiertz - Presse Sports VVB foto (p. 58) Wellcome Library, London (portrait; p. 20) ETH-Bibliothek Zürich/www.e-rara-ch (title page; p. 20) Models photo: Colourbox.com (p. 66) Painting by Greg Dunn (p. 78) Copyright computer simulation: T.G. Budd (p. 132) Radboud University Nijmegen Comeniuslaan 4 PO Box 9102 6500 HC Nijmegen The Netherlands T: +31 (0)24 361 12 36 E: [email protected] I: www.ru.nl © Radboud University Nijmegen, March 2014 2 radboud university nijmegen Preface In 2013, we celebrated our University’s 90th anniversary. During the past 90 years, Radboud University Nijmegen has developed into a reputable academic institution. And, in the last decade it has matured into one of Europe’s top education and research centres. The scale of this achievement is best illustrated by a graph produced by the European Research Council: Acquisition of ERC grants by host institution (see page 6), which shows a ‘league table’ of ERC grants awarded to institutions. Our University is now one of the top 25 research centres in Europe. In this country, too, our research performance is way above the national average – a status that is reflected in the number of the most competitive grants we have acquired from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO; see page 19). We look back with great pleasure on a number of exciting events that took place on the occasion of the University’s anniversary, in particular the award of an Honorary Doctorate to the German Chancellor Dr Angela Merkel. Other major highlights that made 2013 such a successful year include Prof. Mikhail Katsnelson’s NWO Spinoza prize, while four Radboud professors received an ERC Advanced Investigator grant. Prof. Mike Jetten’s innovative proposal for an NWO ‘Gravitation’ grant met with success, as did Prof. Heino Falcke’s application for an ERC Synergy grant. These and other remarkable programmes – including many with a considerable impact on society – show that our University is in very good shape, ready to meet the challenges we expect in the years ahead. Prof. Gerard Meijer Prof. Sebastian Kortmann President Rector Magnificus 2013 research report 3 4 radboud university nijmegen Table of contents Introduction 6 Research Institute for Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies 20 Institute for Historical, Literary and Cultural Studies 26 • Centre for Parliamentary History 28 Research Centres of the Faculty of Law 32 Institute for Management Research 40 Nijmegen Institute for Social & Cultural Research 46 Centre for Language Studies 52 Behavioural Science Institute 58 Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour 64 • Centre for Cognition 66 • Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging 72 • Centre for Neuroscience 78 Institute for Genetic and Metabolic Diseases 84 Research Institute for Oncology 90 Nijmegen Institute for Infection, Inflammation and Immunity 96 Nijmegen Centre for Evidence-Based Practice 102 Nijmegen Centre for Molecular Life Sciences 110 Institute for Water and Wetland Research 118 Institute for Molecules and Materials 124 Institute for Mathematics, Astrophysics and Particle Physics 132 Institute for Computing and Information Sciences 138 Glossary 144 2013 research report 5 Introduction Radboud University Nijmegen is a student-oriented research university. We value quality, combining excellent education with leading-edge research. We focus in particular on four of the five major academic domains: Arts & Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences & Life Sciences. For work in the fifth domain (Technical Sciences) – which is not one of our core competences – we cooperate closely with colleagues at the University of Twente, Eindhoven University of Technology and Wageningen University & Research Centre. Our academic expertise is also closely related to important societal issues, both in the public and in the private domain. Our ambition improved in recent years. The quality of including the significant successes at the Research at the University takes place in 17 research has been further enhanced by end of 2013. dedicated institutes. These are responsible close cooperation with partners around for planning programmes as well as for the world, who complement our areas Aims for the near future include 1) increas- training and supervising new generations of expertise. ing our academic impact, 2) strengthening of researchers. We aim to ensure that our societal impact and 3) intensifying the all programmes within the institutes are We aim to become one of the leading use of our research results. internationally competitive and that they academic institutions in the world and make a major contribution to each research in 2013 we once again made good progress Our academic profile community. Consequently, in independent towards achieving this goal. In September We intend all research done at Radboud peer review assessments, all programmes 2013 the European Research Council (ERC) University Nijmegen which is not already need to receive at least a “very good” score published statistics on the achievements leading nationally – and competitive inter- for the main criteria: quality, productivity, of European Universities and Research nationally – to be so in the foreseeable societal relevance and vitality. Institutions in terms of numbers of ERC future. Within all of our research, nine Advanced and ERC Starting grants received. sub-disciplines have been identified where In terms of these criteria, all Radboud It showed that Radboud University Nijmegen the quality exceeds the high level achieved research programmes have evolved and is 22nd in Europe (see Figure 1), even without by researchers in the rest of the University. 180 160 140 120 100 Figure 1: Acquisition of ERC 80 grants by host institution. 60 Total value in millions of euros. Source: European Research 40 Council Executive Agency, 2013. 20 0 1 2 3 5 8 9 4 19 21 23 25 28 cnrs xford CEA 12 csic ondon 6 euven 13 eiden 17 inria Imperial INSERM 11 rolinska U. O Lausanne eizmann 10 U. Bristol 15 U. L U. Zürich 18 echnion 24 Max Planck UC L ETH Zürich 7 U. L U. Munich 16 T Ka U. Aarhus U. Jerusalem W U. Helsinki 20 GroningenU. Ut 26recht 27 U. Cambridge U. Edinburgh 14 U. Nijmegen 22 U. Amsterdam U. Hebrew Radboud 6 radboud university nijmegen These nine areas are listed below. In 2013, the Bio-Organic Chemistry group Key figures (led by Prof. Van Hest) developed a novel Radboud University Nijmegen Organic Chemistry shape transformation technique that is The focus within Chemistry, which used to prepare tubular polymersomes by includes Material Science, Life Science, adding a crosslinker. Some of the advantages Research staff Biomedical Science and Supra-Molecular of tubular shapes include applications for Tenured Chemistry, is on Organic Chemistry. We these vesicles as drug delivery vehicles or Full Professors 182 FTE concentrate on Synthesis and on Physical artificial organelles. Prof. Huck and his Associate Professors 82.8 FTE Organic Chemistry and recently we have Physical Organic Chemistry group are Assistant Professors 225.7 FTE begun to focus more on the Life Sciences. working on understanding how cells have Researchers 140.9 FTE This research is mainly done in the adapted to the phenomenon of ‘crowding’, Lecturers 1.1 FTE Institute for Molecules and Materials, i.e. the interior of a living cell is filled with but it also takes place in the Nijmegen proteins and other macromolecules are Non-tenured Centre for Molecular Life Sciences. The packed together. Dr Feiters (Synthetic Researchers 653.2 FTE research infrastructure and facilities in Organic Chemistry) and colleagues were Lecturers 12.6 FTE both institutes are excellent. Evidence of granted a Life Science Pre-Seed subsidy Doctoral candidates 1036.9 FTE top-quality research in Organic Chemistry from the Netherlands Genomic Initiative is provided by the numerous prestigious (NGI), which they will use to design novel grants awarded in recent years. These viral therapies for Dengue Fever and other Research input include ERC Advanced grants, Spinoza viral threats. Awards and Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) Vici grants. Physics of Condensed Matter In 2012, the Organic Chemists at the At Radboud University Nijmegen research University received – together with the on the Physics of Condensed Matter is Eindhoven University of Technology and strongly interrelated with research in the the University of Groningen – one of field of Chemistry. It contributes to the the six highly prestigious ‘Gravitation’ Dutch national programmes Nanoned and Core Grants Contracts grants from the NWO for work that is Nanonext, as well as to EU programmes.