
My name is Jaco, I am a trained physicist and philosopher researching the universe — currently as the AIP Helleman Postdoctoral Fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), in the Department of Physics and the Program in Science, Technology and Society, where I am completing a book on the history of dark matter, under contract with MIT Press.
I am a trained physicist and philosopher researching the universe
I am an avid science communicator and talk about physics, philosophy, and our understanding of the cosmos. My work and I have been featured in de Volkskrant, New Scientist, NRC, Universiteit van Nederland, and on NPO Radio 1, Klokhuis — and recently in a NOVA PBS documentary.

I obtained my Ph.D. at the Institute of Physics of the University of Amsterdam, was a postdoctoral researcher at the Amsterdam School for Social Science Research, and have been a visitor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, Princeton University, and the Science and Justice Research Center of University of California, Santa Cruz.
My pastimes include playing bass, perfectioning my crow pose at yoga, feeding my chickens, or cycling on my gravel bike. A more recent passion of mine is cleaning the streets.
Find my CV here and my publications here.
Media inquiries? Use the below email.