NWO Talent Program Funding for 19 Leiden Scholars
Nineteen researchers from Leiden University have been awarded a Veni grant by the Dutch Research Council (NWO). The grants, which provide up to 320,000 euros each, are designed to support talented, adventurous researchers in developing their own innovative ideas over a three-year period.
Selection Criteria for 89 Nationwide NWO Recipients
The Veni grant is part of the NWO Talent Program, which focuses on excellent researchers who have recently completed their doctorates. This year, the NWO awarded a total of 89 grants to scientists nationwide. Recipients are selected based on the quality of the researcher, the innovative nature of the project, the expected scientific impact, and the potential for knowledge utilization.
Scientific Disciplines of the Leiden-based Projects
The Leiden-based projects cover a diverse range of scientific disciplines:
- Pam ten Broeke: Investigating habit formation and strategies for maintaining healthy routines.
- Lianne Visser: Analyzing how the body, gestures, and voice shape the interaction between citizens and public service professionals.
- Nienke Slagboom: Examining the long-term health effects of the closure of coal mines in the Limburg region across three generations.
- Anna Dawid-Lekowska: Researching the use of neural networks to gain breakthroughs in understanding quantum phenomena.
- K.K. Nakashima: Studying the physical principles of life through chemical models of protocells.
- Margret Veltman: Mapping the origins and cultural significance of African grains like sorghum and millet in the Caribbean.
- Emily Yu: Developing verification tools for hardware and software to provide reliable mathematical proofs.
- F.J. de Zwart: Designing molecules capable of breaking down plastic waste to be repurposed into raw materials for detergent.
- Neeltje Blankenstein: Studying online risk behavior among teenagers, such as sexting and online gambling.
- Rodrigo Ochigame: An anthropological study on how artificial intelligence is redefining scientific evidence in fields ranging from mathematics to climate science.
- Kathleen Gregory: Researching the management and preservation of open data infrastructures using COVID-19 data as a case study.
- Xiaochen Zheng: Using neuroimaging to understand how the brain manages focus and language control in an information-saturated world.
- Reinoud Kaldewaij: Exploring the neurophysiological mechanisms of touch and its role in social cooperation.
Gül Aktürk and Future Institutional Growth
In addition to these researchers, the university noted that two other grant recipients are expected to join the institution soon. The list of projects also includes research by Gül Aktürk regarding the climate resilience of herder communities.
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