Which 7 students won?

1. ACTA / Faculty of Dentistry
🦷 Beau van Dijk
Title: Parkinson's Disease and Salivary Issues: A Cross-Sectional Questionnaire-Based Study
Jury’s verdict: A socially and clinically relevant topic: salivary problems in people with Parkinson’s. According to the jury: methodologically strong, clearly written and scientifically sound.

2. Faculty of Medicine / Amsterdam UMC
🧠 Selena Huisman
Title: Prediction of Morphological Changes in MRI for Brain Radiotherapy Patients Utilising Generative AI Techniques
Jury’s verdict: Original, innovative and of urgent societal relevance. The thesis uses generative AI to predict changes in brain MRI scans.

3. Faculty of Law / Amsterdam Law School
⚖️ Aleksandra Guzik
Title: The Prohibition of Gender Discrimination as a Peremptory Norm
Jury’s verdict: A sharp legal analysis of gender discrimination in international law. According to the jury: worthy of publication.

4. Faculty of Economics and Business
📍 Merel Bonewit
Title: Optimising Stroke Care Accessibility for At-Risk Populations
Jury’s verdict: This thesis develops a mathematical model to improve access to stroke care – and is already being used in international tools, including those of the WHO.

5. Faculty of Humanities
📜 Marlies Couch
Title: ‘She Procured a Couple of Chirurgions’
Jury’s verdict: A fresh perspective on care for victims of sexual violence in early modern England. The jury praises an exceptional combination of theory, archival work and accessible language.

6. Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences
🗣️ Olaiya Aro
Title: Early Diagnosis of Frontotemporal Dementia Using Dutch Speech Transcripts
Jury’s verdict: This thesis explores how natural language processing of speech transcripts can contribute to early dementia diagnosis – an excellent example of interdisciplinary research.

7. Faculty of Science
⚗️ Nina Chen
Title: Effect of Water Content on CO₂ Reduction in Acetonitrile
Jury’s verdict: A significant chemical insight into CO₂ conversion, already published in a leading journal. The jury describes her as an exceptionally promising young scientist.

What is the Thesis Prize?

The UvA Thesis Prize is an additional recognition of academic excellence. Master’s students who received a grade of 9 or higher for their thesis are eligible to participate.

Eligible candidates must have graduated between 1 April 2024 and 1 April 2025 and earned a minimum score of 9 for their Master’s thesis. The winner of the main UvA Thesis Prize 2025 will receive €3,000. The other (faculty) winners will each receive €1,000. 

The jury selects one winner per faculty, from which the best thesis of 2025 will ultimately be chosen. The main prize will be awarded on Education Day, Tuesday, 28 October 2025.