News

Forty years of working on nuclear fusion research: what’s that like? How has fusion research changed over the years, looking at the progress that has been made and the technological developments that are taking off? Now that his retirement has come, it’s time for DIFFER’s former department head Egbert Westerhof to reflect on his career in fusion.

DIFFER has appointed Matthijs van Berkel as the new head of the institute’s Fusion Energy department. As of August 2026, the current group leader Energy Systems and Control will succeed Egbert Westerhof, who will retire this summer.

At TU/e and DIFFER, researchers are developing intelligent materials labs and autonomous experimentation to accelerate breakthroughs in energy, semiconductors, healthcare, and sustainable technologies.

Research project ‘SaltCat: Can seawater impurities improve hydrogen catalysis?’ receives funding from NWO as part of the Open Competition Domain Science-XS package 26-2. At DIFFER, researcher dr. Nabil Khossossi aims to identify whether specific seawater ions and catalyst combinations can improve hydrogen production.

As of July 1, Niels Deen has been appointed scientific director of the Eindhoven Institute for Renewable Energy Systems (EIRES). In this next phase, he will work closely with Managing Director Diana van der Sloot to further strengthen EIRES as a leading interdisciplinary institute for renewable energy systems.