Marc Baldus appointed new director of HFML-FELIX

Prof. dr. Marc Baldus has been appointed new director of national research institute HFML-FELIX. He will take over from interim director prof. dr. Frank Linde, starting September.

Groundbreaking work

Marc Baldus has a strong scientific background in physics and spectroscopy. He built a research group that is internationally renown for its innovative and groundbreaking work on molecular systems, with relevant results for both health and material sciences. He successfully lead several strategic scientific missions, has been professor in NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) spectroscopy at the Universiteit Utrecht since 2008 and was scientific director of the Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research at the Universiteit Utrecht between 2016 and 2019.

Shaping the future together

Prof. dr. Marc Baldus is looking forward to start in his new role: ‘As a physicist and spectroscopist, I always considered the idea to combine high-field magnet technology and free-electron lasers to explore the properties and structure of materials as realized at HFML-FELIX highly innovative. In fact, such a strategy strongly aligns with my own research mission to combine technological and conceptual advances in fundamental science with broad impact ranging from science to society. I find the recent development of HFML-FELIX to become a national research institute in partnership with seven Dutch universities an exciting opportunity to shape the future of this internationally renown research institute.’

Grow as a facility and team

‘I think we can be very happy with Marc Baldus as our new director’, says Barbara Evertsen, managing director of HFML-FELIX. ‘We are looking forward to working with him on the future plans of our institute. With Marc Baldus we gain a lot of expertise and enthusiasm that will help us grow. As a research facility and also as a team.’

Right person for the job

Marcel Levi, president of the Foundation Board of NWO-I, is also very pleased with the appointment of Baldus. ‘Marc Baldus is an excellent scientist, with a great amount of knowledge and experience relevant for this research field. He has been working on high magnetic fields since the nineties. Additionally he has experience running a large scientific infrastructure. That makes him the right person for this job.’