Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is proud of the young scientists who clearly demonstrate the impact of scientific research with their research proposals. The laureates are, in alphabetical order:
Lianne Bakkum receives a Veni for her research Children of Parents with Intellectual Disabilities: Growing Up in Child Protective Care.
Children of parents with an intellectual disability enter the child protection system at younger ages, remain in the system for longer periods, and are more often removed from parental care than other children. Bakkum explores how families with and without parental intellectual disabilities navigate youth care and child protection services. Her findings will reveal how families progress from preventive support to more intensive interventions, such as out-of-home placement, and identify when the risk of out-of-home placement is highest.
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Psychiatrist Tim van Balkom of Amsterdam UMC receives a Veni for his research Personalized neuromodulation to treat cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease.
Many people with Parkinson’s disease experience cognitive impairments. However, treatment is often insufficiently effective. In this project, Van Balkom will use magnetic stimulation to improve cognitive impairment. This treatment will be personalized by advanced techniques using brain scans. The aim of this research is to develop an effective treatment, tailored to the individuals’ cognitive problems.
Mathematician Guy Boyde receives a Veni for his research From homological stability to representations, knots, and geometry.
Over the last four years, a variety of new topological techniques (concerning shape and space) have been developed to study algebraic properties of objects called diagram algebras. These algebras originate in physics, and appear in a wide variety of contexts in algebra, geometry, and knot theory. Boyde will apply the new methods, first to study stability and instability properties in algebra, and second to investigate other applications in a variety of contexts, including knot theory, and the geometry of surfaces.
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Lyduine Collij of Amsterdam UMC receives a Veni for her research Advancing amyloid-PET: Novel biomarkers for optimized Alzheimer’s diagnosis and risk assessment.
Everyone is unique: understanding heterogeneity in Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a complex condition with other health problems often occurring alongside it, most commonly vascular damage to the brain. The way AD and vascular damage interact seems to differ from patient to patient and is not well understood. Colij will use cutting-edge brain scans and advanced machine learning techniques to tease out distinct disease pathways and work toward more personalized treatments.
Geologist Thanushika Gunatilake receives a Veni for her research SHINE: Numerical modeling of shear heating and its role in earthquake triggering.
Modeling temperature changes and fluid migration to understand seismic events. This SHINE project aims to build a framework to investigate the influence of internal heat and fluid generation on seismic activity. Through coupling advanced numerical models, Gunatilake will quantify the temperature rise caused by friction along fault planes. Collaborative laboratory experiments will measure the heat needed to release high-pressure fluids like CO. and H.O from volatile-rich minerals. By quantifying fluid volumes and associated stress conditions, she explores how rocks fail and trigger earthquakes. This framework will be applicable for forecasting seismic activity in natural settings (e.g., carbonate regions, subduction zones) and optimizing subsurface energy systems (e.g., CCS, geothermal energy).
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Biological psychologist Fiona Hagenbeek receives a Veni for her research Why do some children maintain externalising problems into young adulthood?
Externalising behaviours, such as aggression and hyperactivity, can have long-lasting negative effects on both individuals and society. Children who maintain externalising problems often also struggle with other mental health problems during their education or employment. Hagenbeek will explore how genetic factors and molecular changes contribute to these behaviours, especially as individuals transition into adulthood. By studying twins and their families over time, my project will uncover how biological pathways shape these behaviours and their outcomes, such as mental health and substance use problems, offering insights that could ultimately help improve early interventions and treatment strategies.
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Social psychologist Roza Kamiloğlu receives a Veni for her research The sounds of everyday life: When voices feel right (or wrong).
Daily life is filled with human voices: laughter with friends, sighs of relief, screams of surprise, groans of frustration, and moans of pleasure. While these sounds are common, their appropriateness depends on the social and cultural context in which they are produced. Kamiloğlu uses experience sampling and controlled experiments to map when different vocal expressions are welcomed or discouraged across cultures and social contexts. The findings will improve our understanding of how people use and interpret nonverbal cues to navigate diverse social environments.
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Criminologist Jelle Lamsma receives a Veni for his research Uncovering the pathways to violent behaviour in schizophrenia: a life-course criminological approach integrating neuroscience and forensic psychiatry.
Violent behaviour in people with schizophrenia is a pressing social issue, but it remains poorly understood. This is because the interplay between brain abnormalities and other potentially contributing factors (such as early-life stress, drug abuse and symptoms of the disorder) over the lifespan have not yet been studied. This project will do so by leveraging a unique worldwide dataset and combining insights from neuroscience, forensic psychiatry and criminology. The results will represent a milestone in our understanding of violence in schizophrenia and inform the improvement of its prediction and prevention.
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Assistant Professor in Operations Analytics Maryam Karimi Mamaghan receives a Veni for her research Advanced data-driven methods for personalized healthcare resource allocation.
Healthcare providers are increasingly adopting personalization, moving beyond one-size-fits-all approaches to better meet individual patients’ needs and preferences. This requires tailoring the allocation of limited resources, such as staff and beds, to individual patients. Existing resource allocation methods focus primarily on operational efficiency and often fail to address personalization. Karimi Mamaghan will develop advanced data-driven optimization methods that enable healthcare providers to deliver personalized services efficiently, ultimately enhancing patient outcomes and healthcare system efficiency.
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Assistant Professor of Visual and Material Culture Adrienne Rooney receives a Veni for her research Socialism in Post-Colonial Caribbean Art and Architecture.
As Anglophone Caribbean nations gained independence during the Cold War, they began crafting a future beyond British colonial rule. Some nations embraced socialism, and this project demonstrates how socialist ideas and politics influenced their art, architecture, and cultural policy, which fostered cultural-educational exchanges with socialist nations in the region and Europe. It also examines what these artistic landscapes reveal about dreams of freedom in countries long-exploited by colonialism and capitalism. Its results will be a resource for researchers and societal stakeholders exploring how culture has been used to challenge colonially-rooted inequality.
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Financial economist Xuan Wang receives a Veni for his research Central bank profits and losses: Macro-financial and inequality consequences.
Major central banks face unprecedented profit losses as they raise interest rates to combat inflation: the US Federal Reserve reported a $114.3 billion loss in 2023, while the European Central Bank recorded its first annual loss since 2004. These losses have significant societal/economic impacts, reducing remittances to governments, potentially undermining monetary policy, and affecting costs of living and firms’ debt burden. Wang investigates how central bank profits/losses influence inflation, asset prices, and wealth distribution. By developing a new macroeconomic framework, he delivers actionable insights for policymakers and contributes to debates on central bank operations, especially within the euro system.
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Jessie van Wezenbeek of Amsterdam UMC receives a Veni for her research Advanced UndeRstanding Of Right heart failure in left ventricular Assist device patients (AURORA).
Right heart failure after receiving a left ventricular assist device: understanding, prediction and early detection. Right heart failure is a common complication after implantation of a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) in end-stage heart failure patients, resulting in prolonged hospital stays and increased mortality. The aim of the study of Van Wezenbeek is to better understand, predict and detect right heart failure after LVAD implantation through detailed analyses of right heart function, right heart tissue and inflammation. She will provide tools to improve patient selection for LVADs and enable timely intervention, ultimately leading to better care and outcomes for heart failure patients.
Organizational scientist Marieke van Wieringen receives a Veni for her research Equitable knowledge-sharing in long-term care.
Verzorgenden Individuele Gezondheidszorg (VIG) are nurses that provide the majority of care in Dutch nursing homes, yet their knowledge is often undervalued by higher-status colleagues, such as registered nurses. With alarming shortages of VIG predicted in the near future, recognizing their expertise is essential to retain current members and attract new ones.Van Wieringen examines how and why the undervaluation of VIG is manifested in social systems, policies, and interactions between occupational groups in the workplace, but also studies how VIG experience and resist it. Additionally,she will provide practical insights to promote more equitable knowledgesharing in long-term care.
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NWO Talent Programme
The NWO Talent Programme gives researchers the freedom to pursue their own research based on creativity and passion. They receive up to EUR 320,000. The programme encourages innovation and curiosity. Curiosity-driven research contributes to and prepares us for tomorrow's society. That is why NWO focuses on a diversity in terms of researchers, domains, and backgrounds. Together with the Vidi and Vici grants, Veni is part of the Talent Programme.
NWO selects researchers based on the academic quality and the innovative character of the research proposal, the scientific and/or societal impact of the proposed project, and the quality of the researcher.
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