Light determines how we see the world. Take a golf ball: we can see the shine on it, make out the structure or even perceive it as a flat disk because in a certain light we cannot see any shadow. Knowledge of light and how we perceive it can help designers to make our life and work easier. Measurements made with a cubic photometer and software have now been used to make a systematic analysis of the light in a room. Sylvia Pont, appointed as Antoni van Leeuwenhoek professor in 2016 for her work in the Perceptual Intelligence lab (PI or π-lab), will present her research during her inaugural lecture on Friday 31 March.