HHU awarded a guest professorship to Marcel van Verk
© HHU/Steffen Köhler
© HHU/Steffen Köhler
The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf has awarded Dr. Marcel van Verk a guest professorship in the field of Crop Data Science. This honorary award, which is initially granted for one year, recognizes Dr. van Verk's exceptional contributions to the research field of Crop Data Science, his outstanding professional achievements and his significant role in fostering collaboration between academia and industry.
Marcel van Verk leads the Crop Data Science department at KeyGene, an international research company based in Wageningen, the Netherlands. He brings more than 15 years of experience in bioinformatics, data science and software development as a scientist, supervisor, and manager. His work bridges the gap between academic research and practical solutions for industry. CEPLAS member Guido Grossmann, who initiated the guest professorship, says about him: “His data science and AI-supported approaches enable innovations in plant breeding that have the potential to sustainably optimize agricultural yields worldwide and play a significant role in shaping the future of agricultural science.”
The appointment also underlines the valuable partnership between the Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS) and KeyGene. The aim of awarding the visiting professorship is to promote scientific exchange and collaborative research through various opportunities for interaction, such as workshops. Marcel van Verk will be involved in the “Science Ethics and Communication” module in the Quantitative Biology degree program and will contribute in particular to the topics “Use of Machine Learning and AI in Industry”, “Innovation and Technology Development” and “Advancing Crop Plant Traits”.
The collaboration between KeyGene, CEPLAS and Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf marks a significant milestone in the promotion of cooperation between industry and academia in the field of plant sciences. “Together, we are committed to promoting scientific exchange and innovation, focusing on the development of novel methodologies for the identification of key plant traits to improve crop resilience, yield, and sustainability.” said Roeland van Ham, CEO of KeyGene.
At the official awarding ceremony on February 7, through Prof. Dr. Martin Heil, Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at HHU, Marcel van Verk presented his view on the future of data science in plant research. He said: „The future of crop data science will be driven by cutting-edge data analytics such as network modelling and a wide variety of AI-driven systems, transforming the way we understand and advance crop science. These developments make that today's innovations are the seeds of tomorrow's agricultural breakthroughs.“