Roel van der Heijden (b. 1985) is science journalist. He enjoys life as a freelance writer and has published articles in several journals and papers, such as NRC Handelsblad, KIJK, NWT, Know How, allesoversterrenkunde.nl and Vox. Since 2011 Roel has been part of the editorial staff of the popular scientific website NEMO Kennislink, for which he mainly writes about astronomy, physics and technology. He also made short astronomy videos for Wetenschap101.
The inspiration for this work was Roel’s study Natural Science at Radboud University Nijmegen. Normally, Natural Science students prepare for a life in the lab, but that was not the path Roel wanted to take. Instead, he looks over the shoulder of the scientist and explains the research to the general public.
Visiting the European Space Agency in Noordwijk, the Netherlands. In this ‘spiky’ room satellites are being tested for interference of radio waves. (photo: Rick Nederstigt)
Roel van der Heijden 