Happy New Year

2022 has been a year of many firsts. Most importantly, it is the year I started as a tenure track professor (i.e. assistant professor) starting the QuATOMs group at Hasselt University. In addition, this is the first year the new master materiomics program at UHasselt was provided. In this program, I’m responsible for the theoretical and computational components of materials research, and thus teaching several new classes which are unique in the world. Next year, the second master year will start, with more classes to create.

But before we launch into these new and interesting times, lets look back at 2022 one last time, keeping up with  tradition. What have I done during the last year of academic merit.

1. Publications: +4 (and currently a handful in progress)

• A machine learning approach for the design of hyperbranched polymeric dispersing agents based on aliphatic polyesters for radiation curable inks

  Danny E.P. Vanpoucke, Marie A.F. Delgove, Jules Stouten, Jurrie Noordijk, Nils De Vos, Kamiel Matthysen, Geert G.P. Deroover, Siamak Mehrkanoon, and Katrien V. Bernaerts,

  Polymer International 71(8), 966-975 (2022),
  doi: 10.1002/pi.6378 {IF(2021)=3.213}
• Localized vibrational modes of GeV-centers in diamond: Photoluminescence and first-principles phonon study

  Kirill N. Boldyrev, Vadim S. Sedov, Danny E.P. Vanpoucke, Victor G. Ralchenko, and Boris N. Mavrin,

  Diam. Relat. Mater. 126, 109049 (2022),
  doi: 10.1016/j.diamond.2022.109049 {IF(2021)=3.806}
• On the influence of water on THz vibrational spectral features of molecular crystals

  Sergey Mitryukovskiy, Danny E. P. Vanpoucke, Yue Bai, Théo Hannotte, Mélanie Lavancier, Djamila Hourlier, Goedele Roos and Romain Peretti,

  PhysChemChemPhys 24(10), 6107-6125 (2022),
  doi: 10.1039/D1CP03261E {IF(2021)=3.945}
• Deep Eutectic Solvents as Nonflammable Electrolytes for Durable Sodium-Ion Batteries

  Dries De Sloovere, Danny E. P. Vanpoucke, Andreas Paulus, Bjorn Joos, Lavinia Calvi, Thomas Vranken, Gunter Reekmans, Peter Adriaensens, Nicolas Eshraghi, Abdelfattah Mahmoud, Frédéric Boschini, Mohammadhosein Safari, Marlies K. Van Bael, An Hardy,

  Advanced Energy & Sustainability Research 3(3), 2100159 (2022),
  doi: 10.1002/aesr.202100159 {IF(2022)=NA}

2. Cover publication: +1

Cover Polymer International: Machine learning on small data sets, application on UV curable inks.

• Cover Polymer International

  Danny E.P. Vanpoucke, Marie A.F. Delgove, Jules Stouten, Jurrie Noordijk, Nils De Vos, Kamiel Matthysen, Geert G.P. Deroover, Siamak Mehrkanoon, and Katrien V. Bernaerts,

  Polymer International 71(8), i-i (2022),
  doi: 10.1002/pi.6434 {IF(2021)=3.213}

3. Project proposals accepted: +1

• Digitization of lignin polyurethane development (DigiLignin), in a consortium with Maastricht University and VITO.

4. Completed refereeing tasks: +12

• Optical Materials
• Journal of Applied Physics (2x)
• Frontiers in Physics
• Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter (2x)
• Diamond and Related Materials (6x)

5. Conferences & seminars: +3/+1 (Attended & Organised)

With regard to conferences, 2022 was the year everyone wanted to go back to “normalcy”, though COVID is still very much present.

• SBDD XXVI, Hasselt University, Belgium, March 9^th-11^th, 2022 [poster presentation, PhD student]
• BPS-2022, Tabloo Science expo (SCK-CEN), Belgium, May 18^th, 2022 [oral presentation]
• DFT-2022: 19th International Conference on Density Functional Theory and its Applications, Brussels, Belgium, August 28^th-September 2^nd, 2022. [member of National Organization Committee; poster]
• VUB-virtual seminar @ALGC group (F. De Proft), Online, November 29^th, 2022 [invited seminar presentation]

6. Current size of HIVE:

• 62K lines of program (code: 69 %)
• ~100 files
• 50 (command line) options

7. Hive-STM program:

• 68 new users in  2022 (making for a total of 520 users)

And now, upward and onward, a new year, a fresh start.