Analytical chemist Bob Perok was on the verge of never completing his studies. Before his final exams in high school, he failed chemistry – just like Dutch and mathematics – and when he was allowed to start studying chemistry at the UvA due to a lenient policy, he didn’t earn any credits for years.
However – years later – he obtained his PhD “with distinction” in analytical chemistry, won several international awards for young scientists, and was selected as one of the 100 most influential analytical chemists by the journal in 2021 and 2022. Analytical scientistsIn early May he won an award. HTC Innovation Award For his work in the automation of separation technology using artificial intelligence, a pioneering award usually given to well-known chemists at the end of their careers. But there was a long road ahead.
Why did you want to study chemistry?
“Because I wanted to be a teacher.” I was really bad at chemistry in high school, but I had a nice chemistry teacher who did experiments in a theatrical way. I wanted that too. But to be a top-notch teacher, you need to have a university education. That’s how I ended up at the UvA.
