KNCV Golden Master Award

Golden Master Award 2025

Tarik Zahzah

Motivated by the global challenge of green energy production and storage, Tarik Zahzah’s thesis contributes novel insight into the role of electrolyte cations in the performance of iridium oxide electrocatalysts, crucial for sustainable hydrogen production. By combining electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) with rigorous modeling, he explores how the migration of cations affects redox kinetics at the catalyst surface. His results illuminate previously unexplained behaviors and provide a methodology to assess electrolyte-catalyst interactions in porous oxides; findings of significant value for industrial water electrolysis.

Winners of the KNCV Golden Master Award

2025 - Tarik Zahzah

TU Delft

2025 - Tarik Zahzah
2024 - Marko Beslać

Eindhoven University of Technology

2024 - Marko Beslać
2023 - Milo Cornelissen

Universiteit van Amsterdam / Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

2023 - Milo Cornelissen
2022 - Leon Smook

Universiteit Twente

2022 - Leon Smook
2021 - Carlijn van Beek

Universiteit Groningen

2021 - Carlijn van Beek
2020 - Thijs Hazenberg

Universiteit Eindhoven

2020 - Thijs Hazenberg
2019 - Indy du Fossé

TU Delft

2019 - Indy du Fossé
2017 - Michelle van der Helm

TU Delft

2017 - Michelle van der Helm

2016 - Marcel Heinrich

University of Twente

2016 - Marcel Heinrich
2015 - Boy Lankhaar

Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen
2014 - Berend van der Meer

Universiteit Wageningen
2013 - Marte van der Linden

Universiteit Utrecht
2012 - Isabel Kerschgens

Universiteit van Amsterdam
2011 - Joram Posma

Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen
2010 - Maarten Nijland

Universiteit Twente
2009 - Peter Korevaar

Technische Universiteit Eindhoven

Nominations

Candidates can only be nominated for this award by their supervisor. The MSc thesis must describe research in the field of chemistry, life sciences, process technology, or (bio)molecular sciences, conducted in the Netherlands and as part of a degree program at a Dutch university. Literature research is not eligible. Non-Dutch nationals are also eligible for the award. A jury appointed by the KNCV will assess the nominated MSc theses and candidates.

Nominations for the Golden Master Award 2026 are open until December 31, 2025.

General
1.	The KNCV Golden Master Award is presented by the KNCV board once a year based on a recommendation made to the board by the Selection Committee.
2.	The prize consists of the ‘Golden Master Award’, a certificate, and a cash prize of €1,000.
3.	If at least seven reports from three different institutions are received, two second prizes may also be awarded.
4.	The winners of the second prizes will receive a certificate and a cash prize of €250.

The Selection Committee
5.	The Selection Committee is appointed by the KNCV Board on the basis of nominations of potential candidates by the KNCV sections, coordinated by the KNCV Board member responsible for Awards.
6.	The Selection Committee consists of a chair and three members who are actively working in the various fields covered by the KNCV sections, as well as a member of the KNCV General Board.
7.	The Selection Committee elects a chair from among its members.
8.	Members of the Selection Committee are appointed for three years, with the possibility of a three-year extension.
9.	The Selection Committee assesses the nominations submitted on the basis of the criteria set out in the Criteria section.
10.	If a member of the Selection Committee has ties with the candidate, he or she will not participate in the deliberations.
11.	The Selection Committee shall maintain confidentiality in its work with regard to the names of the candidates. The Selection Committee shall also maintain the required confidentiality with regard to the content of the report at the request of the company or institution concerned. In case of doubt, the Selection Committee shall take the initiative to consult with the company or institution concerned.

The candidates
12.	To be eligible for the award, candidates must have defended a thesis between January 1 and December 31 of the relevant year on a research project carried out as part of a Master of Science program at a Dutch university in the field of chemistry, life sciences, process technology, or (bio)molecular sciences.
13.	Master of Science students (regardless of their nationality) whose research took place in the Netherlands are eligible for the award.
14.	Members of the General Board of the KNCV and employees of the KNCV are not eligible for the Golden Master Award.

The nomination

15.

The KNCV office invites all KNCV members, and in particular professors, U(H)Ds, working group leaders, and Master's coordinators at universities, colleges, institutes, and companies, to submit what they consider to be the best reports. Each person may submit only one nomination. The nomination must be accompanied by:

a CV of the candidate;
a printed or digital copy of the report;
a written explanation of why the candidate's achievement is so exceptional that he/she is eligible for the award.

The criteria

16.

Criteria that may be taken into consideration include
Research:

Originality and quality of the research: originality, quality, and innovative nature of the research with regard to the scientific question, the methods used, and the approach, and in particular the candidate's own contribution to these aspects.
Reporting: the manner in which the research is described in the report, namely logical structure, clear problem definition, critical discussion of the findings, clear and well-founded conclusions, suggestions for follow-up research, general clarity and completeness of the report.
Use of literature: the extent to which the research is placed within existing knowledge/literature, the clarity of the research question, and the added value of the research for the field and areas beyond.

Candidate:

Knowledge and skills: the candidate's overview/insight into the field of the research project: problem analysis, insight and ability to prioritize and orientate towards other (related) fields; technical skills (broad, deep) and quality of the experimental work.
Independence and personal contribution: the candidate's independence with regard to the implementation of the project, the experiments, and reporting; the candidate's personal contribution to the research and reporting.

The procedure
17.	The Selection Committee reaches a decision through a transparent and balanced process involving the following steps: ranking of the candidates by the committee members, discussion of the candidates, revised ranking followed by a selection in a committee meeting.
18.	The Selection Committee may be assisted in its work by a number of experts working in the Netherlands. These experts will provide their advice in writing.
19.	The Selection Committee submits its advice in writing to the KNCV board. The material on which this advice is based must be enclosed with the advice. A brief assessment is given of the three best candidates and, based on the above criteria, an indication is given as to why the winner deserves preference over the other candidates.
20.	The Selection Committee issues its recommendation based on a majority vote.
21.	The KNCV Board adopts the committee's recommendation unless there are compelling reasons not to do so. In that case, the KNCV Board will clearly indicate why it is deviating from the recommendation. In the event of rejection, the prize will not be awarded.
22.	The chair of the Selection Committee will draw up a statement of reasons, which must be approved by the KNCV board at least one month before the Golden Master Award is presented.
23.	The award will be presented in person. Only in very exceptional circumstances, such as illness, may the award be accepted by someone else.
24.	The winner will be announced and the statement published in C2W and on the KNCV website. Those who nominated candidates will be notified of the result in writing.
25.	In all cases not covered by these regulations, the KNCV board will decide.

KNCV Golden Master Award