Norbert Schmidt

About Me

I build tools that bridge the gap between complex science and everyday users. I'm the project manager for ET Pathfinder at NIKHEF, the Einstein Telescope testbed for 3rd generation laser interferometers. I'm also owner of DDQ B.V., where I develop impactful, science-based apps and instruments under the Pocket Science brand. I'm passionate about citizen science, astronomy, and connecting people with nature through technology.

I’m also an early adopter of self-hosted large language models, especially those using open source weights. I actively explore privacy-respecting, cutting-edge AI for both science and healthcare domains.

I host waarnemen.com, including hemel.waarnemen.com (made by Marc van der Sluys) and I'm the founder of astroforum.nl. When I'm not building or observing the night sky, you'll likely find me trail running through the hills.

Projects

• Black Hole Finder – #1 platform for visual confirmation of black hole merger events after gravitational wave detections.
• Dark Sky Meter – Light pollution measurement app, awarded the Dark Sky Defender Award. Featured on SciStarter.
• iSPEX – Smartphone spectropolarimetry for atmospheric and water quality research.
• astroforum.nl – Largest Dutch-language forum for amateur astronomers.
• DDCare – AI tools for doctors, including Medical Cockpit, LabTracker, and Trombose.net.

Publications

• Frontiers in Environmental Science (2025) – Recent co-authored research publication.

You can find my other work on arXiv and ResearchGate.

Talks

• TEDx Talk – My TEDx talk about Citizen Science.

Contact

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/norbertschmidt

ResearchGate: researchgate.net/profile/Norbert-Schmidt-5

Twitter/X: @nopmobiel