2024 Heineken Young Scientists Awards laureates announced

Econometrician Kevin ten Haaf, historian Lorena De Vita, evolutionary biologist Casper van der Kooi, and developmental psychologist Manon van Scheppingen will receive the Heineken Young Scientists Awards 2024. The jury commends the four young scientists for their outstanding work that makes them an example for other young researchers.

Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken established the Heineken Young Scientists Awards in 2010 to honour young scientific talent for their outstanding achievements. Since then, the prize has been awarded every two years to four highly promising young researchers affiliated with a Dutch university or research institute and who are working in one of the following domains: Medical/Biomedical Sciences, Humanities, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences. Each laureate receives an unrestricted cash prize of €15,000 as a reward.

Laureate Heineken Young Scientists Award in the Medical/Biomedical Sciences: Kevin ten Haaf

In Europe, there has long been a desire to set up lung cancer screenings. Early detection of cancer can bring many health benefits. But how can governments do this efficiently? This question is central to the research of econometrician Kevin ten Haaf (1988) of the Erasmus MC in Rotterdam. Using mathematical models, he develops personalized screening programs that help countries identify high-risk groups to effectively detect the disease in an early stage.

Laureate Heineken Young Scientists Award in the Humanities: Lorena De Vita

Research within international relations often focuses on conflict, but historian Lorena De Vita (1987) of Utrecht University takes a different approach. She focuses not on the history of conflict itself, but on the period after. Specifically, on the reconciliation after massive human rights violations, such as the Holocaust. With this unique approach, she contributes to our contemporary understanding of the context and conditions surrounding reconciliation and repair.

Laureate Heineken Young Scientists Award in the Natural Sciences: Casper van der Kooi

Why do flowers and butterflies have their colours? And how have they developed? This is what evolutionary biologist Casper van der Kooi (1990) of the University of Groningen aims to find out. From his own greenhouse in Groningen, he studies how flowers and animals, such as butterflies, get their colours and how these colours are used to attract pollinators or mates. Thanks to his work, we now better understand communication between animals, as well as between plants and animals.

Laureate Heineken Young Scientists Award in the Social Sciences: Manon van Scheppingen

It was long believed that our personality is fully developed by adulthood, but today scientists know better. Developmental psychologist Manon van Scheppingen (1988) of Tilburg University has significantly contributed to this understanding through her research on personality changes in young adults. She investigates the extent to which significant life events, such as having a child and getting married, influence personality development. Her work helps us better understand the origins and causes of differences in personalities.

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Heineken Prizes Laureates 2024

The Heineken Young Scientists Awards are part of the Heineken Prizes, Netherlands’ most prestigious international science prizes. This year, the Heineken Prizes are dedicated to the prize with which it all began 60 years ago: the Dr H.P. Heineken Prize for Biochemistry and Biophysics. The awards ceremony will take place on Friday, 27 September 2024, at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. In addition to the above laureates, biochemists Ruedi Aebersold and Matthias Mann will receive the Dr H.P. Heineken Prize for Biochemistry and Biophysics 2024.

The Heineken Young Scientists Awards 2022 were awarded to Laura Kervezee (Medical/ Biomedical Sciences), Fleur Jongepier (Humanities), Jordi Tura i Brugués (Natural Sciences), and Liesbeth van Vliet (Social Sciences).