Applications Huub and Julienne Spiertz Fonds

Professor Huub Spiertz, emeritus professor Crop Ecology at Wageningen University, decided to create a Fund on Name when he turned 70 years old in 2011. He and his wife, Julienne Spiertz, want to offer PhD candidates and postdocs the chance to acquire foreign experience in crop science and agrobiology by providing funding for their study trips. In 2015, Huub Spiertz passed away. The Fund is continued by his wife.

Huub Spiertz: “Young researchers must be given the chance to discover what the scientific world has to offer. They often have little opportunity to acquire new scientific contacts outside of Wageningen University. Especially at the beginning of their PhD, much attention is placed inwards while that is the ideal time to gain ideas from outside;  to test their ideas, to gain feedback and to exchange a train of thought. Attending congresses is usually done during the last phase of promotion but without a concrete goal, young researchers can get lost in the masses.”

The board of trustees of the HJS Fund is comprised of:

• Mrs Vivian Spiertz, family representative
• Prof. Dr. Ir. Niels Anten, professor/chair Centre for Crop Systems Analysis
• Dr. ir. Katrien Descheemaeker, professor/chair Plant Production Systems
• Dr. Claudius van de Vijver, Graduate school PE&RC, secretary