KNAW EARLY CAREER AWARD FOR TWELVE YOUNG RESEARCHERS

Description

Twelve young researchers, three from each of the Academy’s four domains, are to receive a KNAW Early Career Award. The award, consisting of €15,000 and a work of art, is intended for researchers in the Netherlands who are at the start of their careers and have original and innovative research ideas. The KNAW Early Career Award is being presented this year for the third time. 

The winners represent the full breadth of science and scholarship. They are, for example, studying the positive aspects of ADHD, the 'appetite' of cancer cells, the influence of social media on the public’s appreciation of science, and the relationship between psychological issues and the use of addictive substances.

Winners

Natural Sciences and Technology

Tessa Quax (1986)

Associate professor of Biology of Archaea and Viruses, University of Groningen, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, Molecular Microbiology

Tessa Quax is intrigued by the diversity and evolution of viruses. She studies the mechanisms by which viruses infect microorganisms called archaea. Archaea are single-celled organisms found in the most disparate places in the world. They grow in hot springs, in salt lakes, and in the human intestine. Her research contributes to a better understanding of the role of viruses in nature and their effect on the evolution of single-celled organisms. Quax is a pioneer in this field and seeks to connect virologists who study micro-organisms through her positions in various international professional associations.   

KNAW Early Career Award

The winners have been selected in the four Academy domains: Humanities; Behavioural Sciences, Social Sciences and Law; Natural Sciences and Engineering; and Medical, Biomedical and Health Sciences. There are three winners in each domain. The KNAW Early Career Award consists of a monetary award of €15,000, made available from the Academy Fund. The winners are free to spend this award on their research careers as they see fit.

Work of art

In addition, all winners receive the art object Extended Jewellery by Laura Klinkenberg (1992). It is a brass screw with a twist, representing the ‘twist’ needed in both research and art to come up with new ideas and symbolising the contrariness of research. Extended Jewellery won the art competition associated with the first edition of the KNAW Early Career Award. Laura Klinkenberg studied jewellery design at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy and has her own company, Ritual Design.

Awards ceremony

The KNAW Early Career Awards will be presented during a celebratory event in the Trippenhuis Building on 14 February 2022.