Kapteyn Instituut: "extraordinarily successful"

An external, international Peer Review Committee (PRC) rated the Kapteyn Institute's performance as "extraordinarily successful" during a visit in January 2023. The committee, composed of top astronomers, rated NOVA and the four university astronomical institutes united in it as ‘world leading’.

Research quality and Phd & Postdoc programmes

The PRC, which carried out the evaluation over the period 2016-2021, congratulated the Kapteyn Institute on the research quality of the institute, stating that its research strategy has been an undeniable success, including during the COVID pandemic. In particular, the research on the structure, formation and evolution of galaxies, stars and planets was mentioned. The training programme for PhD students and postdocs has always focused on improvement and was also praised this time by the committee.

Societal impact

According to the committee, the Kapteyn Institute has generated substantial societal impact in the field of public education. In addition, thanks to an efficient recruitment approach, the institute has not only rejuvenated its staff but also achieved gender equality, which the committee rated as highly noteworthy.

Conclusion

The committee's conclusion: the Kapteyn Institute is thus ‘well-positioned for the future’. The institute is proud of this assessment and its achievements, measured by the very highest international standards, and will continue to strengthen its position at the top of the astronomy and astrophysics rankings.

Documents

You can find the report of the Peer Review Committee and the position of the Board here.