Structures of Strength: Unusual Collaborations on Porous Materials

Structures of Strength (SoS) stands at the forefront of interdisciplinary innovation, bringing together diverse scientific fields to tackle complex societal challenges. Our platform unites researchers who share a common language: porous materials – the often-overlooked structures that exist in everything from human tissues and ancient monuments to modern batteries and environmental filters.

Our disciplines working in parallel universes.
Porous materials are divided into biological, food, engineering, medical, art and history applications and are currently studied separately at different faculties.

What is this project about?

With over 90 researchers spanning 15 disciplines, SoS creates powerful connections between experts from health sciences, engineering, cultural heritage, environmental studies, and more. By sharing knowledge across traditional boundaries, we develop innovative solutions to pressing issues in health, energy, food security, and environmental sustainability.

What makes SoS unique is our ability to recognize the hidden similarities across seemingly unrelated fields – discovering how techniques used to study soil porosity might revolutionize medical implant design, or how methods preserving historical artworks could enhance modern sustainable materials.

Working on this project are:

Amir Raoof (UU), Maja Rücker (TU/e), Yvonne Vercoulen (UMCU), Riccardo Levato (UMCU), Karin Gerritsen (UMCU), Fernanda Paganelli (UMCU), Hossein Eslami Amirabadi (TU/e), Payam Poorsolhjouy (TU/e), Pariya Behrouzi (WUR), Darrell Tang (WUR), Coen Govers (WUR), Marjolijn Bol (UU), Silvia Mihaila (UU), Karin Strijbis (UU), Daphne Stapels (UU), Maitrayee Chatterjee (UU), Julian Quodback (UU), Matteo Gazzani (UU), Hamed Aslannejad (UU), Florian Meirer (UU), Lars van Broekhuijsen and many more.

Academic publications resulting from SoS

Floor, E., Su, J., Chatterjee, M., Kuipers, E. S., IJssennagger, N., Heidari, F., … Strijbis, K. (2024). Development of a Caco-2-based intestinal mucosal model to study intestinal barrier properties and bacteria–mucus interactions. Gut Microbes, 17(1).

Connecting parallel universes using porous materials as a common language.
Taking a close look reveals the similar principles in the study of porous materials.

The SoS way: Our Unique Research Approach

What distinguishes us is the “SoS way” of conducting research: a dual-pillar approach that balances scientific projects with learning activities. We focus on creating new links between disciplines and uncovering hidden similarities across seemingly unrelated fields.

Our approach rests on two essential pillars:

Pillar 1: SoS Projects

Collaborative research initiatives that address complex challenges by combining expertise from multiple disciplines, discovering how techniques from one field can revolutionize another.

Pillar 2: Learning Activities

Deliberate efforts to build trust, develop common language, and create content from the earliest stages of collaboration through:

  • Photo journals documenting visual similarities across different porous materials
  • Science festival participation to engage with broader audiences
  • Lab visits that break down silos between research groups
  • Blogs that capture emerging insights and connections
  • Hands-on meetings where researchers share techniques and approaches

This balance ensures that our scientific work benefits from stronger collaborative foundations while simultaneously producing valuable content that can inspire others.

How do we operate?

SoS thrives through an inclusive approach to collaboration:

We form new ideas through discussion and brainstorming sessions where diverse perspectives meet

We host activities where members explain their ongoing research and challenges

We organize learning events focused on skills that can be transferred across disciplines

We keep our community connected through short emails with updates and opportunities

We collaboratively write blogs on fascinating topics related to porous media research




We facilitate and nurture innovative projects by providing networks of knowledge and expertise

We offer access to facilities across departments and universities to support collaborative work

SoS is a bottom-up innovative platform where hierarchy is flat. While some members naturally take more leading roles, everyone has equal opportunity to bring ideas forward and initiate new projects.

Would you like to be part of an innovative future? Apply and get access to our whole platform!

Sign up here

A special thanks goes out to CUCo for funding and more importantly believing in SoS

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