In a surprising turn of events for Nobel Prize-winning physicist Andre Geim, the Netherlands has declared him no longer a citizen of the country he once called home. This development comes after Geim, who became a British citizen 13 years ago to receive a knighthood, was informed that he must return his Dutch passport.
Expressing his feelings about the situation, Geim stated he is "extremely annoyed" and considers himself a "Dutch-British Nobel Prize winner." He expressed his deep connection to the Netherlands where he spent many significant years of his life.
Geim, born in 1958 in Russia to German descent parents, acquired Dutch citizenship during his tenure at Radboud University in Nijmegen in the 1990s. His prolific career reached new heights when he and his colleague Konstantin Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010 for their revolutionary work on graphene, hailed as the world's thinnest and strongest material.
The decision to strip Geim of his citizenship stems from the Netherlands' stringent stance on dual citizenship, which has unexpectedly impacted a scientist celebrated for his contributions to the field. He now faces the unsettling prospect of officially renouncing his ties to the nation that shaped his early career.
