newspaper NRC Handelsblad . He conceived and launched a website for children, Proefjes.nl , in an effort to cultivate and sustain an understanding and involvement in the sciences, and his popular books include Blikwisselingen (2008), Btacanon (2009) and Btacanon Junior (2010). Commenting on Dijkgraaf's work to advance science, Bruce Alberts , Editor-in-Chief of Science magazine and President Emeritus of the National Academy of Sciences, said, "I am enormously pleased that Robbert has been selected as the next Director of the Institute for Advanced Study. He has demonstrated great leadership in his present roles as President of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences and as Co-Chair of the InterAcademy Council of the world's science academies. Importantly, Robbert is not only an outstanding theoretical physicist, but also a charismatic and idealistic human being. He has set a wonderful example for other scientists by dedicating a large amount of effort to communicating science to the public and to cultivating the next generation of scientists through science education at all levels. Hopefully, his new position will enable him to reach an even wider audience around the world." Dijkgraaf and his wife, author Pia de Jong , have three children. De Jong's critically acclaimed 2008 debut novel, Lange Dagen ( Long Days ), received the 2008 Golden Owl Literature Readers Prize, and established de Jong as one of the leading voices in fiction in the Netherlands. Her most recent novel, Dieptevrees ( Depth Fear ), published in 2010, has been widely praised by