Dolf Weijers obtained his PhD at the University of Leiden in 2002, and after a few years as researcher at the University of Tübingen, he started at Wageningen University in 2006. Six years later, Weijers was appointed as professor holding a personal chair in Biochemistry of Plant Development. He won prestigious research grants and students voted him Teacher of the Year in 2013. Weijers became professor and chair holder of Biochemistry in 2017. “My interests lies with fundamental knowledge questions about processes in plants. I want to unravel the mysteries of plants.”
Contrary to popular opinion, the scientific quest for knowledge is not a predictable and well-defined process. To make new discoveries, researchers need the freedom to be creative, fail, and learn by chance. There is an overlap with art in that respect. This is why Wageningen scientists look to artists for…