TU Delft Stories
Source: https://www.tudelft.nl/en/stories Parent: https://www.tudelft.nl/en/education/admission-and-application
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[reading time: min
Charting a course towards zero-emission shipping with sustainable fuel](https://www.tudelft.nl/en/stories/articles/charting-a-course-towards-zero-emission-shipping-with-sustainable-fuel)
[reading time: min
How to keep a cool head in an increasingly hot environment
Handling heat stress is just one of the many challenges cities are faced with as the effects of climate change and population growth are taking their toll on the living environment. Temperatures may vary within a single street, making this a complex issue. Researchers and students from different disciplines have been enlisting the help of citizens - and their backyard - to measure the effects of heat stress in an urban environment to help them devise ways of combating it.](https://www.tudelft.nl/en/stories/articles/how-to-keep-a-cool-head-in-an-increasingly-hot-environment)
[reading time: 4 min
On the road to circular façade construction, another hard nut has been cracked
Although they form only the outer layer, façades are responsible for an average of 30 percent of a building’s CO₂ emissions. Researchers from TU Delft, together with partners, succeeded in developing a biobased construction materials for façade cladding from hazelnut and pistachio shells.](https://www.tudelft.nl/en/stories/articles/on-the-road-to-circular-facade-construction-another-hard-nut-has-been-cracked)
[reading time: 5 min
A resilient neighbourhood starts with social cohesion
When researcher Amineh Ghorbani talks about resilient neighbourhoods, her eyes light up. For her, resilience is not an abstract scientific idea. It is something very human: the ability of a community to cope with crises, adapt, and continue living well, even when disaster strikes. ‘Climate change, political tension, social crises, they are all happening at once,’ she says. ‘Society needs to become more resilient to everything coming our way. And one essential ingredient for that resilience is social cohesion.’](https://www.tudelft.nl/en/stories/articles/a-resilient-neighbourhood-starts-with-social-cohesion)
[reading time: 7 min
Solving the housing crisis? TU Delft on radically different building and living](https://www.tudelft.nl/en/stories/articles/the-housing-challenge)
[reading time: 4 min
The future of housing is collaborative
‘Build fast, build cheap, and build a lot’ is the dominant mantra for tackling the housing crisis. The focus is on fully independent houses, providing a one-sided solution. Collaborative housing, in contrast, can address not only housing supply but also broader societal challenges. It is this potential in building and living truly resilient that Darinka Czischke wants to make mainstream.](https://www.tudelft.nl/en/stories/articles/the-future-of-housing-is-collaborative)
[reading time: 4 min
Chips that feel: Rethinking cancer diagnosis with mechanics
What if we could spot the onset of cancer by sensing how cells behave rather than how they look? This question has kept PhD student at TU Delft Sahar Safarloo up at night more than once. She’s building tiny, light-based sensors so sensitive they can detect extremely small forces. Her dream? A chip that can catch cancer in its earliest whispers, before any microscope can see it.](https://www.tudelft.nl/en/stories/articles/chips-that-feel-rethinking-cancer-diagnosis-with-mechanics)
[reading time: 11 min
Buildings that fix themselves
Imagine if cracks in brick walls could heal by themselves – with a little help from bacteria. This “self-healing” technology has already been proven to work in concrete, but could it be applied to masonry as well? Researcher Belen Gaggero is testing this very possibility, and her results are promising so far.](https://www.tudelft.nl/en/stories/articles/buildings-that-fix-themselves)
### How climate and water determine the mosquito season of the future
[reading time: min
Looking beyond the end of the wind turbine blade
The tips of wind turbine blades sometimes rotate at speeds of several hundred kilometres per hour. At such high speeds, precipitation can cause considerable damage to the coating of a blade, resulting in loss of energy production. Using rain experiments, Structures and Materials researcher Julie Teuwen mapped out the impact of precipitation on wind turbine blades.](https://www.tudelft.nl/en/stories/articles/looking-beyond-the-end-of-the-wind-turbine-blade)
[clean aviation
reading time: 10 min
Using quantum technology to find the strongest and lightest composite for aeroplanes
How do you find the most optimal combination when there are countless options? Using a quantum algorithm, Associate Professor Boyang Chen is searching for the best stacking sequence of fibres in composites to create the lightest and strongest material for aircraft. The QAIMS Lab that Chen founded at TU Delft, is the first research team in the world to use quantum computing for this application. In the coming years, Chen hopes to work with aircraft manufacturer Airbus to discover the possibilities of the quantum algorithm for the industry: how much profit can be made from it and of course how can it contribute to cleaner aviation?](https://www.tudelft.nl/en/stories/articles/using-quantum-technology-to-find-the-strongest-and-lightest-composite-for-aeroplanes)
[reading time: min
The need for quantum resilience for a secure digital society
A quantum computer with sufficient computing power can help solve major computational problems, but it can also be misused. To crack encrypted data from citizens, businesses, and governments for example. The day a quantum computer becomes capable of this, known as Q-day, is approaching rapidly.](https://www.tudelft.nl/en/stories/articles/the-need-for-quantum-resilience-for-a-secure-digital-society)
[reading time: 6 min
Simulating how heat pumps alter underground geothermal profiles: data or physics, that’s the question
Geothermal heat pumps provide homes with sustainable cooling or heating by tapping into underground thermal energy. Along the way, they also alter the geothermal profile of a wider subsurface area.](https://www.tudelft.nl/en/stories/articles/simulating-how-heat-pumps-alter-underground-geothermal-profiles-data-or-physics-thats-the-question)
[### Building a highway for light
Research on quantum computers is advancing rapidly. At TU Delft, researchers are working to bridge the gap between the quantum world and everyday technology to make quantum computers a reality. And to do so, Shima Rajabali, Assistant Professor in TU Delft’s Quantum & Computer Engineering Department, is developing tiny chips, that use light instead of electricity. Shima’s chips act as translators between microwaves, which vibrate billions of times per second, and light, which moves about a million times faster. This makes it possible to send information between quantum devices with very little loss, opening the door to quantum communication. This technology could one day connect quantum computers, sensors and networks, into one global and powerful system. From single photons, to a worldwide quantum internet: Shima is building the critical links to make it possible.](https://www.tudelft.nl/en/stories/articles/building-a-highway-for-light)
[reading time: 6 min
From student entrepreneur to global tech leader
Story of TU Delft Alumnus of the Year 2025, Josefien Groot, co-founder and Chair of Qlayers, highlighting her journey from student entrepreneur to global tech leader, her innovations in sustainable industrial coatings, and her vision for off-grid, self-sufficient living.](https://www.tudelft.nl/en/stories/articles/engineering-change-a-journey-from-tu-delft-to-global-impact)
[### Turning Wind into Wattage
To meet sustainability demands, future grids must not only become smarter but also more resilient. Dr. Monika Sharma, from TU Delft’s Intelligent Electrical Power Grids (IEPG) group, works on advanced control strategies that address these challenges.](https://www.tudelft.nl/en/stories/articles/turning-wind-into-wattage)
[reading time: 5 min
How can the energy transition regain momentum?
Laurens De Vries, professor of Complex Energy Transitions, aims to help stakeholders organise a sustainable, affordable, and robust energy system by taking a systemwide perspective.](https://www.tudelft.nl/en/stories/articles/how-can-the-energy-transition-regain-momentum)
[reading time: 6 min
The educational robot inspiring students of all ages
On a mission to make robotics education more accessible, affordable, and inspiring, Martin Klomp led the development of MIRTE—a low-cost, fully open-source educational robot. Through this project, he aims to help students — from primary school to university — engage with technology in meaningful, hands-on ways. Unlike many educational robots locked behind proprietary systems and steep price tags, MIRTE’s open ethos and flexibility make it a valuable tool for both education and research.](https://www.tudelft.nl/en/stories/articles/the-educational-robot-inspiring-students-of-all-ages)
[reading time: 6 min.
Accelerating the heat transition at Delft University of Technology
Discover how TU Delft research in geothermal energy, design, and human behaviour drives the heat transition towards a gas-free future.](https://www.tudelft.nl/en/stories/articles/heat-transition)
[reading time: 6 min
Advancing adsorption research and education with open software
Adsorption research—a fast-growing field focussed on how gases or liquids adhere to solid surfaces—is crucial in many industrial and environmental processes. TU Delft PhD candidate Shrinjay Sharma helped develop an open-source software package that allows scientists to run adsorption simulations with precision, speed, and accessibility. The tool has value for both advanced research and education, from industrial applications to classroom learning.](https://www.tudelft.nl/en/stories/articles/advancing-adsorption-research-and-education-with-open-software)