PhD candidate Stefan Gaillard and alumnus Martijn van der Meer on Forbes 30 Under 30

“Science doesn’t always involve discovery – sometimes it also involves failure. But those failures aren’t shared with the wider community even though they also contribute to knowledge.” With these words, Forbes Magazine justifies the presence of Gaillard and van der Meer on their list. In 2018, the duo founded the Journal of Trial & Error, an independent, open-access publication that aims to bridge the gap between the image of science and science as practised, showing that the scientific process can be messy sometimes. The first edition was published in 2020. DUB then published an article about the initiative.

The 30 under 30 list was launched in 2011 and includes categories such as finance, energy, sports, and entertainment, to name but a few. Each category has a list of thirty winners and they cannot be older than 30 years old at the time of publication. The list has become so successful that the American business magazine now organises a 30 Under 30 summit, aimed at driven young professionals, and maintains a 30 Under 30 app with content dedicated to this demographic. 

“We could wonder what these lists mean and we do, but nevertheless: we’re very proud that we’ve been selected!” celebrated Gaillard and van der Meer on X. Gaillard even said the mention is “a childhood dream come true”. They are the only Dutch nationals featured in the Science & Healthcare category.

A philosopher of science, Gaillard is a PhD researcher at the Raboud University studying the hype and promises surrounding nanomedicines, medical misinformation and disinformation, and science reform. He serves at the UU as a project coordinator for the interdisciplinary platform De Nieuwe Utrechtse School and contributes to DUB as a blogger. 

Van der Meer obtained his Bachelor’s in History at UU and is now a PhD candidate at Erasmus University Rotterdam, where he investigates how and why concerns about the health of pre-school children motivated collective activities in the emerging Dutch welfare state. He also works as a policy maker at Tilburg University.

Last month, the Journal of Trial & Error handed the first Trial & Error Award in association with the Utrecht Young Academy. The award is meant as a critique on academic award procedures.