Very proud of my master’s student Roos van Andel, who won the master’s category of the 2026 Best Thesis in Applied Mathematics Award! Her thesis uses stochastic optimization to improve the deployment of mobile stroke units, deciding where to station them and when to keep them available for future patients.

Congratulations also to Larson Beemster, another of my master’s students and one of the three master’s finalists, whose thesis explores hydrogen blending in natural gas networks under uncertainty. Both conducted their research within VU Amsterdam’s Business Analytics programme in collaboration with CWI.

Presented by Math4NL and the Innovation Committee of Platform Wiskunde Nederland, the award was announced at CWI on 4 November 2026. A wonderful recognition of their work—congratulations to both!