Rolduc 2024

The organisers of Rolduc 2024 are pleased to cordially invite you to the joint Conference on Mass Spectrometry organized by the Belgian and Dutch Societies for Mass Spectrometry (BSMS/NVMS).

The 5th edition of the conference will be held from Sunday 28th April until Tuesday April 30th 2024 in the beautiful and cosy Abbey of Rolduc in Kerkrade, The Netherlands, and will feature a variety of scientific lectures covering a broad range of topics, mostly focused on a general theme: mass spectrometry. So if you are interested in small molecules, or your heart is with proteins or other large molecules, you will hear about the latest insights and be part of stimulating discussions!

The organizing committee was able to get an inspirational set of renowned international scientists to commit to providing keynote and plenary lectures, including Simona Francese (Professor of Forensic and Bioanalytical Mass Spectrometry at Sheffield Hallam University), Kathrin Breuker (Associate Professor at the Institute of Organic Chemistry of the University of Innsbruck, Austria), Tim Causon (Associate Professor at the Department of Chemistry, University für Bodenkultur, Wien, Austria) and Frank Vanhaecke (Professor in Analytical Chemistry at the Faculty of Sciences, UGent, Belgium). Moreover, the scientific programme will feature keynote, or plenary, speakers: Claire Eyers (Professor of Biological Mass Spectrometry, University of Liverpool), Matyas Bittenbinder (VU Amsterdam), Rawi Ramautar (Associate Professor Biomedical Microscale Analytics, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research) and Martin Giera (Assistant Professor Metabolomics Group, Leiden University Medical Center).

These lectures will be alternated with parallel sessions packed with interesting contributions from academic, government, and industrial scientists. One of the parallel sessions will be arranged, and chaired, by Albert Heck on the occasion of his 25th anniversary at Utrecht University and his 60th birthday.

And that is not all: Just like in previous editions, poster sessions are a key part of the meeting and these will take place in the iconic hallways of the abbey, allowing young and established researchers to discuss their latest results. The best posters from young researchers, that is, up to two years after receiving a PhD, will be awarded with an encouraging poster prize, so grab the opportunity to showcase yourself and your work to the international mass spectrometry community!

Moreover, the exhibition area not only allows instrument developers and vendors to present the latest developments about instrument architecture, applications and software, but also scientific publishers to present books and journals, and suppliers to bring forward the latest in consumables, such as chromatography columns, specialty chemicals, robust enzymes and pure solvents that are essential to obtain the best results in liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry-based experiments.

Of course, as all of you that have attended previous Rolduc meetings know, the cosiness of the abbey also provides ample opportunities for social interactions during the lively dinner, or while enjoying a locally brewed beer at the conference party in the legendary bar in one of the cellars and, of course. during the coffee breaks inbetween sessions and lectures. Talking about a break: To give your scientific mind a rest, the programme will also feature an entertaining, non-scientific lecture.

Taken together, this is the opportunity for scientists and other aficionados interested and/or involved in mass spectrometry to immerse themselves once again in the wealth of science and social interactions to foster collaborations that can lay the foundation for fruitful projects in the near and further future. Make sure to register through the website and book a room within the abbey so that you can enjoy the conference to the fullest: from the moment you set foot on the historical grounds on Sunday until you leave, inspired and up-to-date on Tuesday afternoon.

The organisers will keep you updated about the conference via social media and the website https://www.rolduc2024.com/, so stay tuned! If you have any questions, please reach out to the organizing committee at info@nvms.nl.

The organizing committee look forward to welcoming you in Kerkrade!

Filip Cuyckens is Group Lead Biotransformations at Janssen R&D, Belgium and Treasurer at BSMS.

Eef Dirksen is Group Lead Extended Analytical Characterization, Byondis, The Netherlands and Board member of NVMS.