Ralf Mackenbach
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
4 October 1995
- Singer
- dancer
- actor
- plasma physicist
- Vocals
- piano
- drums
Ralf Mackenbach | |
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.png) Mackenbach in 2022 | |
| Born | Ralf Johannes Josephus Mackenbach 4 October 1995 Eindhoven, Netherlands |
| Occupations |
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| Musical career | |
| Genres | Pop music |
| Instruments |
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| Years active | 2005–present |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Applied physics |
| Institutions |
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Ralf Johannes Josephus Mackenbach[1] (born 4 October 1995) is a Dutch plasma physicist, artist and former child singer, best known for winning the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2009 with the song "Click Clack".[2] He is the first and, to date, only Dutch winner of the contest.
Mackenbach was born in Eindhoven,[1] and grew up in Best, North Brabant.[3] As a child, he starred in the musicals Tarzan and Beauty and the Beast.[4] He attended Amsterdam's dancing academy Lucia Marthas, and studied acting at Centrum voor de Kunsten Eindhoven (CKE) in Eindhoven.[5]
Career
Musical career
In 2009, at the age of thirteen, Mackenbach won the 2009 edition of Junior Songfestival with the song "Click Clack".[6] As a result, he represented the Netherlands in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2009, and went on to win the competition with 121 points. "Click Clack" peaked at number 7 in the Dutch Single Top 100.[7] Subsequently, he appeared in the 2010, 2012 and 2022 contests as part of an interval act.[8]
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Mackenbach's debut album Ralf achieved a top 10 spot in the Dutch album charts and entered the Flemish album charts at number 59.[9] In March 2011, it achieved gold status with over 25,000 sales.[10]
In 2011 and 2012, Mackenbach participated in the celebrity contest shows Sterren dansen op het ijs and Sterren springen op zaterdag. He was also a judge on the 2011 edition of the Dutch talent show My Name Is…. In 2019, he appeared as a judge on the Dutch adaptation of All Together Now.[11]
Academic career
After graduating secondary school with a VWO certificate, Mackenbach studied at the Eindhoven University of Technology. In 2019, he finished a master's degree in nuclear fusion, for which he wrote the dissertation Numerical Modelling of Mode Penetration in Cylindrical Geometries Using M3D-C1.[12]
Continuing his studies at the Eindhoven University of Technology, Mackenbach completed his PhD cum laude in November 2023 with a thesis titled Available Energy: A compass for navigating the nonlinear landscape of fusion plasma turbulence.[1] Since 2024, he is a postdoctoral researcher at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL).[13]
