Nikhef researcher Sijbrand de Jong (Cosmic Rays group) is set to become the new Dean of the Faculty of Science of the Radboud University. On 1 December 2021, he will succeed Lutgarde Buydens. De Jong has been affiliated with the Faculty of Science in his capacity as Professor of Experimental Physics since 1998.
He has held many administrative positions, both within and outside the faculty. De Jong was the first director of the Institute for Mathematics, Astrophysics and Particle Physics, which is an interdisciplinary research institute, and he is the founder of the Radboud Pre-University College of Science. He was also a board member of what was then FOM (Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter) and served as president of the CERN Council in Geneva for three years.
Grit and enthusiasm
Sijbrand de Jong: “As the newly appointed dean, I am honoured and delighted to be taking on the challenges of the future along with everyone at the Faculty of Science. We are already at the forefront of education and research, and I see great opportunities to further enhance our impact.”
Rector Magnificus Han van Krieken: “Sijbrand de Jong is a governance figurehead who knows how to combine a natural authority with grit and enthusiasm.”
Elementary particle physics
As a researcher, Sijbrand de Jong is a world-renowned expert in elementary particle physics and astroparticle physics. As a Nikhef researcher, he carries out experiments in large accelerator laboratories such as CERN (Geneva, Switzerland), Fermilab (Chicago, USA) and is involved in cosmic ray experiments in such locations as the Pierre Auger Observatory near Malargüe in Argentina. De Jong previously focused on the Higgs mechanism that gives mass to particles and searched for the Higgs boson, which plays a crucial role in the understanding of particle physics and which was found at the LHC at CERN in 2012.
At present, he is primarily interested in the origin, composition and behaviour of the particles with the highest energy in the universe. De Jong has always been committed to communicating the results of his research to a wider audience.
Source: Radboud University
Photo: Gerard Verschooten.
