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My name is Coen Bongers, and I was born in July 1990 in Zeeland, a small village in Noord Brabant. And yes, I know that is a bit confusing. Zeeland is located near Uden, and it is approximately a 30-minute drive or 60-minute bike ride from Nijmegen. I’m working as a postdoctoral researcher at the department of Physiology. My research focuses on human thermoregulation in rest and during exercise, and more specifically on the prevalence, treatment and prevention of (exertional) heatstroke, which can be life-threatening when not treated properly.
Where do you live?
I’m still living in Zeeland together with my girlfriend, my son who was born in December 2020, and our cat.
When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? Can you tell us something about your childhood years?
As a kid, I had one big dream and that was to become a soccer player and play for Ajax! Unfortunately, that dream hasn’t become reality, but luckily I can enjoy all the recent successes of Ajax.
Me and my two younger brothers grew up approximately 4 km outside of the village center, which basically means in the middle of nowhere. Our parents had a cow farm and the good thing about that was that we had a large garden including a small soccer field where I played soccer and many other games with my friends every Wednesday after school. In addition to playing soccer, I spent a lot of time cycling from and to primary school (16 km every day).
What was your previous academic training, where did you study and why did you choose that study/those studies?
I have always been very interested in research, health and sports, which is why I studied Biomedical Sciences at the faculty of Health Sciences of the Radboud University. After graduation, I started my PhD at the department of Physiology of the Radboudumc, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at the Thermal Ergonomics Laboratory of the University of Sydney. I then returned as a postdoc to the department of Physiology.
Which of your research discoveries are you most proud of?
During my PhD, I performed a meta-analysis focusing on the effects of cooling prior to (“pre-cooling”) and cooling during exercise on thermoregulatory responses and exercise performance. At that time, there was no official term for cooling during exercise, which is why we introduced the term “per-cooling” (per = Latin for “during”). My paper was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine and nowadays most experts in the field use the term per-cooling for cooling during exercise.
What is your most important scientific challenge in the coming 5 years?
For many early career researchers, it is very challenging to get funding for your work, so that is an important challenge for me as well.
If you could choose any mentor, who would it be?
It is difficult to pick one. Victor Candas for his knowledge on thermal physiology, Barack Obama for his eloquence and persuasiveness, and of course Pippi Langkous (Pippi Longstocking) for her self-confidence, as is evident from her famous quote: “I have never tried that before so I think I should definitely be able to do that”.
What is your favorite topic: molecules - patients - population?
Population.
What should be changed / improved in the scientific community?
I do believe that the research funding culture in the Netherlands should be changed. Both early career and senior researchers are spending a lot of time on writing grants (with a low success rate) instead of performing research and collecting valuable data that could have great societal impact. I’m not quite sure how it could be changed, but I do believe that researchers and research groups should focus primarily on performing research instead of writing grants.
Is there anything we can wake you up for in the middle of the night?
A fresh lasagna from the oven. Or a croquette sandwich (‘broodje kroket’), that is my guilty pleasure!
What is the thing that irritates you most?
People who do not use their direction indicators while driving, particularly on roundabouts. From a research perspective, the submission portals of journals irritate me a lot. Due to the different journal guidelines and submission portals, submitting an article takes a lot of time. It would be way easier if journals used the same system and guidelines.
Who would you like to have dinner with, if you had the chance?
My father-in-law. He passed away when my girlfriend was 10 years old, so I never had a chance to meet him and have a nice chat with him.
How do you relax from the demanding job of being a scientist?
I find my relaxation in many things. I like to play sports (~4 times a week: soccer, futsal, tennis, road cycling, running), and I love to spend time with my friends and family. Furthermore, I like to travel and be outdoors for hiking.
Do you have a tip for our most junior scientists?
I would advise PhD students and starting postdocs to get involved in as many research projects as possible (if it fits your schedule). This will help you to expand your network, increase your knowledge and improve your CV. But also enjoy your time as a PhD student! It is a great time in your career where you can focus completely on your research.
Please add a photo that represents a remarkable event or experience you were part of? Please explain.
Here you see me and my supervisor (prof. Ollie Jay) after finishing the Sydney half marathon; a great running event across the city center, starting at the Harbour Bridge and finishing in front of the Opera House. A recommendation for everyone who loves running and travelling, because travelling across Australia is definitely worth the long flight.
Editor(s): Fleur Duyser, Léa Michel, Hasan Erkan
