KNCV publicly announced their award winner on their website today. Luc Brunsveld (1975) started his career studying Chemical Engineering at TU/e in 1993. Already in his third year he contributed to research that would be published in the scientific periodical Science. After his graduation, he started a PhD in TU/e professor Bert Meijer’s research group. He received his doctorate with honors in 2001 and subsequently left to join the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Physiology in Dortmund, where he held a postdoctoral position in Professor Herbert Waldman’s group. He focused on chemical biology and here too, he managed to produce scientific work of an exceptionally high quality.

From 2003 through 2003, Brunsveld worked at human pharmaceutical company Organon in Oss, where he pointed out the importance of protein-protein reactions in medicinal chemistry. When in 2005 he was asked to become group leader at his former employee in Dortmund, he decided to act on that and set up his own research path there.

In mid 2008 he received and ERC Starting Grant and returned to TU/e at 33 to become professor of Biomedical Engineering. Brunsveld introduced the Department of Biomedical Engineering to supramolecular chemical biology. He’s been published in many scientific journals including Chemical Science, Angewandte Chemie, and Chemical Communications. Already in 2009 The Netherlands Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology awarded him with the NVBMB Award.

Brusnveld is very happy with the award and considers it a wonderful acknowledgement of what he and his group have achieved in the field of supramolecular biochemistry in Eindhoven over the past years. Other TU/e researchers who’ve been presented with the award are professor in Catalysis Rutger van Santen (1981), polymer chemist Piet Lemstra (1983), and organic chemists Constant van Boekel (1988) and Bert Meijer (1993).  

Brunsveld’s research is currently focusing on a new approach towards modulating protein interactions. In the treatment of breast cancer, this could help prevent resistance against certain types of medication, for example. At the national KNCV Day on June 25, Brunsveld will receive his medal and deliver a lecture.