Gerard van Westen 2013 Discoverer of the Year
Former PhD student Gerard van Westen was granted the C.J. Kok Award also known as “Discoverer of the Year”. A festive ceremony took place at the Faculty’s New Year’s reception on January 7, 2014.
As over 100 PhD students graduate in the Faculty annually, the award is regarded an exceptional recognition. Gerard’s thesis is about bringing together information on the properties of ‘small molecules’ and their targets in the computer to allow fast identification of potential new drugs and to assist in reducing side effects. According to Gerard this can only be done today due to the ongoing exponential growth in computer power and the increasing availability of public databases containing the necessary information.
Read more about Gerard and his work in http://fwncwww14.wks.gorlaeus.net/images/uploads/UVL_BOE_Trots_2013_GerardWesten.pdf