Ionica Smeets


Ionica Smeets is a Dutch mathematician, science journalist, columnist, television presenter and professor in science communication at Leiden University.
Smeets was born in Delft, where she completed her propedeuse in computer science at the Delft University of Technology. She switched studies and graduated in applied mathematics.
Ionica Smeets was working on her thesis in mathematics, on a subject within number theory, at Leiden University when she started the blog Wiskundemeisjes, on 14 March 2006, together with Jeanine Daems. The website has been awarded in 2007 with two Dutch Bloggies. Since 2010, the two 'math girls' ran a column in De Volkskrant for several years. Currently, Smeets writes a weekly piece titled "Ionica zag een getal" in the periodical Sir Edmund.
She completed her PhD at Leiden in 2010; her dissertation, On Continued Fraction Algorithms, was supervised by Robert Tijdeman and Cornelis Kraaikamp.
After this, Smeets became a science journalist. She performs research, together with Bas Haring, on successful methods to explain science to the general audience. In this function, she appeared on Dutch television, such as in De Wereld Draait Door. On 19 October 2011, the book Ik was altijd heel slecht in wiskunde appeared, which she wrote together with Jeanine Daems. Begin 2012, Smeets co-presented eight editions of the KRO-program De Rekenkamer, replacing Sofie van den Enk. In 2013, Smeets presented the mathematics program Eureka, together with Van den Enk. On 17 August 2014 she was guest in the Dutch television program Zomergasten. Furthermore, she participated in the NCRV's television quiz De Slimste Mens in August 2014, almost reaching the final round.
In July 2015, Ionica Smeets was inaugurated to professor in Science Communication at the University of Leiden. In December 2015, she started presenting the VPRO television program de Nationale Wetenschapsquiz, which she has presented together with Pieter Hulst up until now.

Publications (selection)