Each researcher will be awarded a maximum of €320,000. The grant is an incentive for adventurous, talented and groundbreaking academics to further develop their own research ideas over the coming years. NWO has awarded a total of 200 research projects in this round of funding.

The UvA recipients

Faculty of Economics and Business

• Dr Lina Zhang (Economics) - How Social Networks Shape What We Do and Who We Become
  People’s opinions and behaviour, which products they buy, whether they attend university, or what language they speak, are all influenced by their network interactions with friends and acquaintances. The mechanisms behind how networks form and how they shape our daily lives, which are crucial for explaining many socioeconomic phenomena, remain poorly understood due to the complexity of real-world network data. Zhang's project offers new insights of various channels driving network formation and introduces innovative approaches to better characterise network effects.

Faculty of Humanities

• Dr Eric Johnson (Archaeology) - Living Stonework: Indigenous Ceremonial Landscapes, Colonial Palimpsests, and Transatlantic Collaborative Archaeology
  For thousands of years, Indigenous peoples of eastern North America have used stone landscapes for ceremonial purposes. However, since the beginning of European colonization, many sacred stone constructions have been destroyed, repurposed, or forgotten. As a result, archaeologists are only now beginning to recognize the significance of these important sites. Living Stonework, a collaboration with the Ramapough Munsee-Lenape Nation of New Jersey, will use recent advancements in LiDAR technology to help identify and preserve ceremonial stone landscapes. The project will also examine Dutch and American colonial archives for valuable context while rethinking the heritage of New Netherland today.
• Dr Marjolein Lanzing (Philosophy) - Just not Fair: Towards a Normative Framework for AI and Algorithmic Surveillance Technologies (ASTs) from the Perspective of Structural Injustice.
  Facial recognition and risk prediction algorithms (ASTs) are increasingly used across social domains. Unfortunately, they can lead to ‘algorithmic discrimination’. ‘Algorithmic fairness’ is an inadequate concept for addressing it. Unlike structural injustice theories, it neglects the social structures in which algorithms are embedded, like institutions. This blinds us to important roots of discrimination such as unequal power relations. Therefore, building on three case studies, Lanzing's project develops a new, normative framework for assessing ASTs from the perspective of structural injustice.
• Dr Divya Nadkarni (Literary studies) - Political Friendship for a Fractured World 
  Nadkarni's project explores how literary imaginations of friendship can help us rethink our relationships, strengthen our communities, and support democracies in troubled times. Using insight from novels and short fiction from Non-Western contexts, she will show how these imaginaries of friendship can challenge old ideas and spark new ways of coming together. Through this fresh view, this project aims to inspire a stronger, more resilient form of democratic solidarity that meets the challenges of growing polarisation, authoritarian threats, and the instability of our world.
• Dr Fernando van der Vlist (Media Studies) - Who controls AI? Power, Platforms and Europe's Digital Future
  Big Tech companies play a dominant role in shaping artificial intelligence (AI) globally by controlling the infrastructure and financial systems that underpin it. Van der Vlist's project investigates how these companies integrate AI technologies into different industries, influencing society and economies. It also explores how Europe can address challenges like reliance on foreign tech giants and market dominance. Van der Vlist will provide practical insights for making AI systems fairer, more resilient, and better aligned with Europe’s goal of digital independence

Faculty of Medicine (Amsterdam UMC, location AMC)

• Dr Jill Bracht - Realiable Blood Tests with VesicleXpress.
  Blood tests are becoming increasingly important for early disease detection, but small differences in how blood samples are processed can affect test results. These so-called pre-analytical factors, such as processing speed or the precision of the person handling the sample, can cause tiny particles in the blood that indicate diseases to go unnoticed. Bracht's project investigates how these factors influence test results and develops improved methods for processing blood samples to ensure consistent and accurate disease detection.
• Dr Kaspar Bresser - Re-wiring Immunity: Unraveling Post-Transcriptional Mechanisms Controlling T-cell State and Function
  T-cells are vital white blood cells that form a key part of the immune system, protecting the body from harm. However, problems in their “programming” can lead to serious diseases. In cancer, T-cells lose their ability to fight harmful cells, while overactive T-cells can mistakenly attack the body, causing autoimmune diseases. Bresser's project  will compare the programming of these types of T-cells to find differences. Bresser aims to use these insights to “reprogramme” T-cells that occur in diseases. For example, stimulating them to fight cancer or calming them down in autoimmune diseases.
• Dr Hung-Jen Chen - From Antiviral Defense to Uncontrolled Hyperinflammation: Macrophage Interferon Signaling Rewiring
  Severe COVID-19 is marked by excessive inflammation and impaired antiviral defenses, with obesity significantly increasing the risk. Afucosylated IgGs—immune proteins specifically produced in severe cases—activate immune cells like macrophages, driving harmful inflammation. Obesity-related metabolic changes worsen this imbalance. Chen's project will investigate how afucosylated IgGs and obesity disrupt immune balance, shifting it from antiviral defense to inflammation, aiming to identify new drug targets. By bridging key gaps between inflammation, antiviral responses, and metabolism, Chen aims to improve treatments for high-risk groups, like those with obesity, and enhance preparedness for future pandemics.
• Dr Bram Hulst - NEphroProtective Treatment Using Noticing Early Perioperative Distress (NEPTUNE) 
  When the body is under stress, it can transform fat and sugar into ketones, which organs use as an alternative energy source. Unlike regular energy sources, ketones need less oxygen to power cells. During heart surgery, patients receive anaesthesia and are connected to a heart-lung machine, which reduces blood flow and the delivery of oxygen to vital organs. This often leads to damage in vital organs such as the kidneys – a serious complication. Hulst's project will test whether giving ketones can protect kidney function and prevent damage due to reduced oxygen delivery during heart surgery. This discovery could provide doctors with a straightforward way to prevent kidney damage in heart surgery patients.
• Dr Inge Mulder - Vascular Dysfunction in Acute Ischemic Stroke: Identifying and Targeting New Therapeutic Pathways 
  Despite available treatment strategies for acute ischemic stroke, a significant proportion of patients do not achieve full recovery. Mulder's goal is to enhance post-stroke outcomes by deepening our fundamental understanding of brain-wide vascular dysfunction and impaired reperfusion after stroke. Specifically, she will concentrate on the challenges posed by constriction and plugging of small brain vessels downstream from the initial obstruction. Through the integration of challenging rodent stroke models with cutting-edge imaging techniques, her aim is to pinpoint novel treatment targets and explore possibilities for more effective stroke management.
• Dr Anne van der Spek - The GUT2D Study: Do Changes in the Gut Microbiome Trigger Graves' Disease?
  Graves’ Disease is an autoimmune disease that causes an overactive thyroid. Its symptoms are well-established, but the underlying cause is not. Van der Spek will use a computer method to identify gut bacteria in Graves’ Disease patients that confuse the immune system and are not, as previously thought, a consequence, but a cause of the disease. Van der Spek will measure recycling of thyroid hormone by gut bacteria, which could worsen symptoms, using a new method. Next she will use patient immune cells and large databases of Graves’ patient material to determine whether the identified bacteria cause or worsen the disease.
• Dr Barbara Verhaar - The Salty Gut: On the Crosstalk Between Sodium Homeostasis and the Gut Microbiome
  High blood pressure is a leading cause of heart disease worldwide, and eating too much salt is a major contributor. However, not everyone’s blood pressure reacts the same way to high salt intake, and the reasons for this are not well understood. Verhaar's project will explore how salt-tolerant bacteria in the gut may influence how the body absorbs sodium and regulates blood pressure.

Faculty of Science

• Dr Robin Baeyens (Astronomy) - Chemistry in Ionospheres as a New Way to Probe Atmospheric Conditions of Exoplanets
  Planets beyond our Solar System can have atmospheres. But which molecules these are composed of is not well known. Nonetheless, the atmospheric composition reveals how a planet was formed and whether it may host life. Baeyens' project will use the James Webb Space Telescope is used to observe the atmospheres of exoplanets, and show us how the atmospheric composition can be changed by starlight.
• Dr Julia Bodensteiner (Astronomy) - How a Cosmic Dance Tells Us about Gravitational Waves 
  Gravitational waves are ripples in space caused by collisions of pairs of black holes or neutron stars at the end of a dramatic cosmic dance. How such tight pairs of compact stellar remnants form is a central question in astrophysics. The prevailing theory interprets them as end-products of close binary evolution, but which and how many binaries end up rippling space is hard to answer. Bodensteiner's project will use new, unprecedented observations of OeBe stars, stars spinning fast enough to shed material, which represent an intermediate stage in the pathway to gravitational waves, to greatly improve our understanding of these end-products.
• Dr Sian Brooke (Computer Science) - Human-Centered Code: Building Accessible IDEs for Neurodiverse Women in Computing Education
  Brooke's project addresses the lack of diversity in software engineering by focusing on neurodiverse women learning programming. Using generative AI, Brooke will create personalised, inclusive tools to support diverse learning needs. Through focus groups, co-design workshops, and iterative design, the project identifies barriers in existing coding tools and develops AI-powered interventions. It introduces the “human-centered code” framework, embedding user-driven, inclusive principles into programming environments. By making accessibility and equity central to coding tools, this research empowers neurodiverse women, enhances inclusivity in programming education, and positions AI as a force for collaboration and innovation.
• Dr Stephanie (Alex) Brown (Physics) - The Hunt for New Physics: Using the Power of Neutron Stars to Test Einstein's Theory of Gravity 
  Brown's project investigates binary neutron star mergers, exploring the intersection of gravitational and nuclear physics. These extreme events, with strong gravitational fields and near-light-speed dynamics, provide a unique opportunity to study fundamental physics and the nature of ultra-dense matter. By developing a framework to test general relativity that accounts for neutron star properties, Brown will enable the first theory-agnostic analysis of such systems. Additionally, the project will advance data analysis and machine learning techniques, maximizing the scientific potential of current and future gravitational wave detectors and opening new pathways to understand gravity and the universe.
• Dr Olfa D'Angelo (Physics) - Influence of Gravity on Granular Flows, from Earth to Space and Back
  How would everyday objects behave without gravity? – Difficult question, as gravity is always around! For soft, flowing matter, gravity often dominates over material’s properties. This explains why granular materials, from powdered sugar to landslides and asteroids, are not fully understood: we lack access to their intrinsic qualities, obscured by gravity. D'Angelo's project will measure gravity’s effect on granular flows, on Earth and in low-gravity. Based on the outcomes, she will develop a model valid in both situations, and an experimental sand that mimics how Moon-soil flows, allowing space technologies to be tested safely on Earth before space missions.
• Dr Jan-Willem van Ittersum (Mathematics) - Modular Forms and Multiple Zeta Values in Mathematical Physics
  Not only mechanics need tools: theoretical mathematical research also requires utensils—abstract hammers and saws, that is. Van Ittersum's project develops all kinds of tools (mathematical theorems) to describe sequences of numbers in number theory, geometry and mathematical physics. In particular, van Ittersum will determine the ‘fingerprint’ of new so-called modular symmetries that such sequences can possess, with the aim of making such symmetries easier to recognize and use. In doing so, the project will contribute to the significant collection of mathematical problems solved using modularity properties.
• Dr Divya Ravi (Computer Science) - Practical Multi-Party Computation with Cheater Identification  
  Secure Multi-Party Computation (MPC) enables multiple parties to jointly compute a function over their private inputs without revealing those inputs. Despite its great potential, the use of MPC protocols has been limited because in most practical protocols, it is possible for cheating participants to disrupt the computation without any consequences. This discourages honest participation, making cheater identification crucial. Ravi's project will build practically efficient MPC protocols with cheater identification through two main approaches: first, by exploring alternative, cost-effective yet realistic notions of identifiability; and second, by refining the attack model in a way that captures real-world threats, but is not unnecessarily strong.
• Dr Kamran Salehi Vaziri (Physics) - Constraining the Space of Cosmological Theories 
  One of the main goals of modern physics is to describe the exponential expansion of our universe, both in the past and in the future. The correct theory to model our universe must be consistent with fundamental physical principles. In his project, Salehi Vaziri, using the rules of quantum mechanics and the symmetries of spacetime, will propose a framework to identify the criteria that our expanding universe must satisfy. This approach provides key insights into the physics of the early universe and its ultimate fate.
• Dr Lucas Slot (Mathematics) - Foundations of Sum-of-Squares Algorithms: Worst-Case and Beyond
  Sums of squares are mathematical objects with a long history. Historically, they have been studied mostly because of their theoretical properties. More recently, they are have been used as a tool in the development of powerful algorithms. These algorithms can be used to solve all sorts of problems in pure and applied science. In this project, Slot will expand the mathematical foundations of these algorithms in an attempt to explain their success. In particular, he will develop methods that allow us to go ‘beyond the worst case’.
• Dr Nicole Walasek (Biology) - From Theory to Test and Back: Testing and Advancing Theory about Sensitive Periods beyond Early Ontogeny
  An evolutionary enigma is why individuals are so sensitive to experiences at certain life stages. Most research focuses on these sensitive periods early in development. But there is growing awareness that later stages, such as adolescence, have heightened sensitivity too. However, formal mathematical models or empirical tests on the evolution of these later-life sensitive periods are lacking—yet important for predicting how animal populations will respond to rapid climate change or major adverse events (e.g., a global pandemic). Through a powerful combination of experimental evolution and novel theoretical models, Walasek's project will advance our understanding of later sensitive periods.
• Dr David Wellnitz  - Quantum Simulation of Collective Quantum Dynamics in Photo-Chemistry
  Predicting the dynamics of chemical reactions would allow us to control them on a microscopic level. While such predictions usually target individual molecules, an alternative approach is to collectively control reaction dynamics of many molecules by light. Experiments have indeed observed synchronisation and changed reactions inside optical cavities – two mirrors facing each other to trap light in between. However, computing and predicting these collective dynamics is far beyond the reach of even the best supercomputers. Wellnitz's project will explore how quantum simulators could provide new insights by mimicking these chemical dynamics in a much more controlled environment.

Faculty of Social and Behavourial Sciences

• Dr Sophia Backhaus (Educational Sciences) - Protecting Children: A Closer Look at Violent Parenting Behaviors
  Violence against children by their parents is a widespread issue with serious and lasting consequences. However, we know little about which specific violent behaviours are most common – are children most often hit, yelled at or choked? – why these specific behaviors happen, and how to prevent them. Backhaus's project research looks closely at specific violent parenting acts, using data from over 1 million caregivers worldwide. By uncovering patterns and identifying risk factors for specific behaviors, Backhaus aims to provide new knowledge to design better prevention strategies, helping to protect children from harm and create safer family environments.
• Dr Hao Nguyen (Communication Science) - Disconnecting in an Always-Connected World: A source of New Digital Inequalities?
  Digital connectivity offers many benefits but also raises concerns about digital overload and wellbeing. While some successfully limit digital media use, others struggle to disconnect. Not everyone is equally equipped to manage their dis/connectivity, which reinforces existing sociodigital inequalities. Nguyen's project investigates how disparities in voluntary disconnection function as a key driver of digital inequality in today’s always-connected society. It examines the competencies that individuals need to manage dis/connectivity effectively, and investigates how individual, social, and digital factors shape inequality in disconnection. Ultimately, the project redefines digital inequality, and assesses the societal implications of inequality in disconnection.
• Dr Alexandra Sarafoglou (Psychology) - Why Researchers Disagree - and What We Can Learn from it
  What happens when multiple research teams analyze the same data? Surprisingly, their results often vary, sometimes dramatically. This occurs because researchers use different methodologies that can lead to conflicting conclusions. While the scientific community has begun to embrace the manyanalysts approach—where multiple teams analyze the same question using the same data—there is currently no reliable way to combine the findings. Sarafoglou's project, will develop a new statistical method to synthesize the results from many-analysts projects. This approach has the potential to make science more reliable and to improve the way researchers tackle scientific questions.
• Dr Amber van der Wal (Communication Science) - Turning Algorithms for Good: ‘Injecting’ Humor to Protect Youth from Harmful Social Media Content
  Social media platforms use algorithms to show users content they are likely to engage with. While this creates a seamless experience, it often traps youth in streams of appearance-focused content, like fitness or beauty videos, harming their self-esteem and well-being. Van der Wal's project will explore how adding humorous videos to feeds can counter these effects by shifting attention away from appearance. Using TikTok as a testing ground, she will investigate the dose of humor needed to protect youth against negative effects, analyze algorithmic responses to adding humor, and evaluate the intervention in real-life settings to create safer online environments for youth.
• Dr Sofia Wickberg (Political Science) - Mind the ‘Implementation Gap’ in Digital Anti-Corruption Policy in Europe
  Digital anti-corruption technologies often fail to fulfil their goals and implementation challenges are to blame. Wickberg's project asks: why does the level of compliance vary? What defines implementation practices? How does digitalisation shape the work of implementing organizations? She will examine these questions by looking at digital registers of assets, lobbies and beneficial ownership in the European Union. Using qualitative comparative analysis and fieldwork, Wickberg will study the role of individual attributes, organisational features and the sociopolitical context to understand how these tools are implemented in practice. Understanding what lies behind this implementation gap can help practitioners better tackle corruption through digitalisation.