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Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences

Chemist Jasper Schuurmans honoured with Cum Laude PhD

20 October 2026

On 15 October, chemist Dr Jasper Schuurmans obtained his doctorate with the distinction ‘Cum Laude’. In his thesis on “Photon management and reactor engineering for photochemical synthesis and scale-up”, he presents a broad, coherent framework for understanding, designing, and scaling photochemical reactors. The Cum Laude distinction honours his scientific excellence and creativity as well as his highly collaborative academic spirit.
Dr Schuurmans surrounded by his supervisors, paranymphs and graduation committee. On his right is supervisor Prof. Timothy Noël (Flow Chemistry, UvA), on his left supervisor Prof. John van der Schaaf (Intensified Chemical Reactors, TU/e). Photo: HIMS.

In his thesis, Schuurmans presents a broad, coherent framework for understanding, designing, and scaling photochemical reactors. With his research, he has proven to be an independent, creative researcher with a defining ability to approach chemical problems from an engineering perspective. As a core contributor to the Horizon research and innovation program CATART, he directly contributed to the project's objective of developing enabling technologies for efficient photochemical processes.

Schuurmans’ research has already led to 16 peer-reviewed publications, among which a recent Hot Paper in Angewandte Chemie International Edition, one of chemistry’s highest ranking journals. He was invited to present his research at international conferences and scientific meetings, reflecting the broad recognition of his work. It has also attracted attention beyond the scientific community, in particular his work on the role of mixing in synthetic organic chemistry.

The thesis of Dr Schuurmans spans the complete trajectory from fundamental reactor understanding to practically relevant photochemical scale-up, culminating in photochemical production rates exceeding 16 kilograms per day. Image: HIMS.

Collaborative spirit

Schuurmans’ Cum Laude also honours his active role in flow chemistry education, particularly regarding heat and mass transfer. His teaching received highly positive feedback from his students.

Furthermore, his collaborative spirit has consistently fostered a positive and motivating environment within the Flow Chemistry research group led by his supervisor Prof. Timothy Noël. Already in the second year of his PhD he took on a role typically performed by postdoctoral researchers, leading research projects and mentoring visiting PhD students and MSc students.

See also