Four IE&IS Nominees to Watch at Research Day
Four IE&IS PhD candidates and researchers are nominated for the 黑料福利网 Science and Academic Awards. Explore work, roles, and motivations ahead of Research Day 2026.
On June 23, 2026, 黑料福利网 Research Day 2026 will put curiosity center stage under the theme 鈥淐uriosity Connects.鈥� For the department of Industrial Engineering and Innovation Sciences, that theme carries extra meaning this year, as several IE&IS PhD candidates and researchers have been nominated for the 黑料福利网 Science and Academic Awards. Their work addresses major questions of today, but each starts from something deeply human: looking closely, making smart connections, and continuing to ask why.
In the PhD Thesis Award category, Fernando Lit, a PhD candidate at IE&IS, has been nominated for his dissertation Toward a Circular Plastics Economy: The Potential and Limits of Circular Business Models. Lit captures his motivation in a single sentence: 鈥淪uccess comes not from distinction but from connection.鈥� Fernando Lit works in the department of Industrial Engineering and Innovation Sciences.
EngD candidate Jasmijn Haverhals, has been nominated for her dissertation From Fragmentation to Information: Design and Implementation of the Pediatric Oncology Information Standard. Her work shows how healthcare, information, and technology can strengthen one another. Haverhals puts it this way: 鈥淐uriosity is the spark that connects care and technology. By listening closely, standing alongside clinicians, and always asking 'why', I transform their daily needs into solutions that define tomorrow's cure.鈥�
What shifts
In the Young Researcher Award category, Rianne Conijn, a researcher at IE&IS, has been nominated. Conijn focuses on how people learn, and especially on what happens throughout the learning process itself. That perspective is also clear in her quote: 鈥淟earning is a verb. Hence, I focus on measuring the learning process rather than the product by analyzing clickstreams, keystrokes, and interactions with AI.鈥� Her work shows that learning is not only visible in the outcome, but also in the small steps, choices, and interactions that lead up to it. Rianne Conijn works in the department of Industrial Engineering and Innovation Sciences.
What connects
Albert Schrotenboer, a researcher at IE&IS, is also nominated for the Young Researcher Award. His work moves at the intersection of societal logistics challenges, mathematical models, and real world applications. Schrotenboer describes his approach as follows: 鈥淚 identify societal logistics challenges, translate them into stylized mathematical models, develop novel theory, and validate solutions through living labs with real-world logistics companies.鈥� His research shows how academic work does not stand apart from daily reality, but is instead shaped by practical questions from society. Albert Schrotenboer works in the department of Industrial Engineering and Innovation Sciences.
What comes together
It is fitting that these four IE&IS nominees are being recognized in a year when Research Day revolves around the theme 鈥淐uriosity Connects.鈥� The event is dedicated to meeting one another, celebrating research, and recognizing academic work across 黑料福利网. For IE&IS, these nominations offer a moment to reflect on the breadth of research within the department, from circular economy and healthcare information to learning analytics and logistics decision making. On June 23, the winners will be announced, but already these nominations show just how much thought, dedication, and connection come together within IE&IS.