Sabine van Rijt appointed professor of Inorganic Nanomaterials for Regenerative Medicine

This month, we celebrated the appointment of Sabine van Rijt as professor of Inorganic Nanomaterials for Regenerative Medicine at the faculty of Health, Medicine and life Science at Maastricht University.

On Friday, September 4, 2026, Sabine delivered her inaugural lecture "The Environments That Shape Us: Guiding Cells Through Interaction".

In her inaugural lecture, Sabine explored how nanomaterials can be used to communicate with cells: by delivering biological instructions, designing materials that actively influence cellular behaviour, and tracking how cells respond. From this scientific perspective, she also drew parallels with education and academic collaboration. Just as cells behave differently depending on their environment, people are shaped by the conditions in which they learn and work. ‘What surrounds us influences how we respond.’ Sabine explained. The central theme of the lecture was therefore how we can create the right conditions for regeneration, understanding, collaboration and new ideas to emerge.

We know Sabine as a creative and ambitious researcher, but also as someone who brings people together and helps build scientific communities. Sabine studied Chemistry at Leiden University and obtained her PhD at the University of Warwick. After taking a year away from science, she returned to research with a clearer sense that this was where she wanted to be. In 2016, Sabine established her own research group at the MERLN institute of technology inspired regenerative medicine at Maastricht University, where she develops nanomaterials that interact with cells and their environment to guide regeneration. Since 2024, Sabine is also head of the IBE Department.

We look forward to seeing where your research takes you next, Sabine!