Prof.dr.ir. Ilja Voets is a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry at Eindhoven University of Technology. She leads a team of chemists, physicists, biologists, and engineers, studying self-assembly processes in (biological) soft matter. The goal is to gain fundamental insights into these processes and translate them into rational design strategies for novel functional soft materials. She is interested in colloidal self-organization, polymer assembly and folding, and protein biophysics. She studies how to control intra- and intermolecular copolymer assembly to reveal key structure-property relations, package fragile biomolecules, develop artificial enzymes, enhance colloidal stability and tailor smart materials. Voets has a particular fascination for ice-binding proteins that help fish, insects, and plants to survive in extreme environments at sub-zero temperatures. Another key research challenge is that of orchestrating colloidal self-assembly with remote cues such as light and temperature.