Today – its 217th anniversary – the Academy will proudly present seventeen new members. They have been selected from a large number of nominations by expert juries in each scientific and scholarly field. The new members – ten women and seven men – don't just excel in their research; they also attach great importance to playing a role in society as scientists. They will be officially installed on 29 September 2025.
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Academy selects new members
Here are the new members:
Jeroen Aerts
If you want to prevent flooding, you don't just need to understand about the climate, how water behaves, and how to construct dykes. Socio-economic factors such as spatial planning and human behaviour are at least as important, if not more so. Is it wise, for example, to allow population growth in vulnerable areas? And to what extent are people willing to evacuate an area when a flood warning is issued? It's questions like these that are central to the work of Jeroen Aerts, Professor of Climate and Water Risk at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. With his multidisciplinary approach, Aerts adds a refreshing new dimension to scientific knowledge about the risk of flooding.
Patricia Dankers
Patricia Dankers, Professor of Biomedical Materials and Chemistry at Eindhoven University of Technology, has developed special materials that stimulate damaged tissue in the body to repair itself and that prompt stem cells and mini-organs in the laboratory to grow. This is a breakthrough in her field, regenerative medicine. A number of start-ups are using her materials for biomedical applications such as repairing blood vessels, delivering anti-cancer drugs into the abdominal cavity, and regenerating breast tissue after breast cancer. Dankers also demonstrates considerable social commitment: she actively brings science to the general public at schools, through appearances on radio and TV, online explainers, and collaboration with artists.
Evangelia Demerouti
What are the factors that determine whether someone feels good and performs well at work? Evangelia Demerouti, Professor of Work and Organisational Psychology at Eindhoven University of Technology, has developed a theory showing how striking the right balance between workload and supporting factors – such as help from colleagues and the employer and a pleasant working environment – makes employees healthier, more effective, and happier. Her insights are now applied worldwide, for example by the Netherlands Labour Authority and for evaluating psychosocial risks at work across Europe. As Chief Diversity Officer at Eindhoven University of Technology, she initiated the successful Irène Curie Fellowship programme, which – for a six-month period – reserves all vacancies for full, associate, and assistant professorships for female candidates only. This has led to an increase in the number of female researchers and widespread attention to diversity both within and beyond the university. Various other organisations are now following this example.
Jingyuan Fu
Jingyuan Fu, Professor of Systems Medicine at the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), carries out pioneering research that combines large-scale data on human genes, the gut microbiome, and environmental and lifestyle factors to understand individual differences in health and disease. Her research focuses on understanding how host–microbe interactions can regulate human metabolism, immunity, and the effectiveness and safety of medications. In addition to large-scale data analysis, Fu is also developing advanced liver-on-a-chip models that can be coupled to gut-on-a-chip and to bacterial culture in order to simulate the gut−liver axis in vitro. As a co-founder of the Groningen Microbiome Hub, an interdisciplinary platform within the UMCG, Fu is also accelerating the translation of scientific knowledge into practice.
Hanneke Grootenboer
Hanneke Grootenboer is Professor of Early Modern Art and Visual Culture at the University of Amsterdam. Her research focuses on intimacy, interiority and theories of the self in art of the Dutch Republic. In her scholarship she looks at the past through the lens of contemporary art and theory, throwing new light on often forgotten objects such as shells or needlework, and she also strives to find new relevance in objects of the past. For instance, still life or interior painting that breath calm and peacefulness can be contemplation. Grootenboer is interested in art and philosophy, or rather in art as philosophy. She studies art making as a form of thinking, and art works, of the past as well as the present, as thought-things that assist people with making sense of the world around them.
Joyeeta Gupta
Climate change can be felt all over the world, but it impacts people in poorer countries in Africa, Asia, and South America far more severely than people in countries such as the Netherlands. With her groundbreaking research, Joyeeta Gupta, Professor of Environment and Development in the Global South at the University of Amsterdam, has repeatedly presented strong arguments to convince people of that fact. Thanks to her work, climate justice has become an important topic in the debate on climate change. Gupta also holds a professorship at the IHE Delft Institute for Water Education and has received numerous awards for her work, both in the Netherlands and elsewhere. In 2007, as lead author of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), she was a co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. In 2023, she was awarded the Spinoza Prize.
Lisa Herzog
Lisa Herzog is Professor of Political Philosophy and Economics at the University of Groningen. Her research focuses on how knowledge is disseminated within society and what impact that has on democracy. She also investigates how moral and democratic values can be given a stronger role within the economy, and how organisations can be structured in a more humane and fairer way. As dean of the Faculty of Philosophy, she actively promotes a democratic administrative culture. Since becoming a member of the Global Young Academy, Herzog has also contributed in various contexts to mentoring refugee scientists and scholars and improving global science equity.
Mark Huijbregts
In his research, environmental scientist Mark Huijbregts (Radboud University) charts the environmental impact of products and technologies across entire production chains, covering everything from food, renewable energy generation, electric cars, and heat pumps to hydrogen technology. Just how sustainable are they in actual fact, and what can we do to make them greener? His research looks at local differences between production chains on a global scale, thus yielding new insights into which factors are important for making society more sustainable. His close collaboration with research institutes such as TNO, RIVM and the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL), as well as with the business community, makes him a valuable link between science and real-world applications. In that way, Huijbregts is making a tangible contribution to make the world more sustainable.
Lukas Kapitein
Like a 21st-century Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, Lukas Kapitein, Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biophysics at Utrecht University, combines research work with improving research instruments and methods. The main focus of his work as a biomedical researcher is to reveal the processes that occur within cells. With his innovations in microscopic imaging, he has, for example, significantly advanced our knowledge of brain cells, and he is currently applying these techniques to improve our understanding of brain diseases. Kapitein’s innovative techniques are now also being used by other researchers and by the biomedical industry.
Geert Kops
How does a cell pass on its chromosomes to new cells? What goes wrong during cell division that can lead to cancer and congenital abnormalities? Improving our understanding of this fundamental aspect of life on our planet is central to the work of molecular cell biologist Geert Kops. As director of the Hubrecht Institute, Professor of Molecular Tumour Cell Biology at Utrecht University Medical Centre, and Investigator at Oncode Institute, he has made an impressive contribution to our knowledge of cell division. His work has also played a major role in understanding the emergence of chromosomal abnormalities in cancer, thus helping to develop new treatments. Kops is also an active science communicator, for example seeking to convey the value of a sense of wonder, curiosity, and science to schoolchildren.
Pieternel Levelt
Pieternel Levent is an associate director of the U.S. National Science Foundation National Center for Atmospheric Research (NSF NCAR) in the United States, with her work particularly emphasising the study of air quality. Levelt investigates air pollution, greenhouse gases and the ozone layer through space-based observation technologies. Under her leadership, specialised satellite instruments (such as OMI and TROPOMI) have been developed, enabling precise monitoring of air pollutants and their sources from hundreds of kilometres above Earth. Her research provides detailed insights into how pollutants disperse and offers critical data on the state of our ozone layer. The outcomes of her work directly support governments and policymakers in making informed decisions regarding air quality and environmental management. Levelt also holds the position of Professor of Remote Sensing of the Earth's Atmosphere at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) and is affiliated with the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI).
Levelt is foreign member of KNAW.
Stefania Milan
Society today is ruled by data and artificial intelligence, and that's not always a good thing for society itself. Stefania Milan, Professor of Critical Data Studies at the University of Amsterdam, points out the undesirable effects in her work, for example by showing how algorithms can disrupt democratic processes. By combining disciplines that include the humanities, social sciences and computer sciences, she is able to explain such developments and demonstrate their effects. By doing so, she speaks up for those who are vulnerable to AI and big data, not only in the West but even more so in the Global South. Besides producing analyses, Milan also works with stakeholders to consider how things can be improved.
Elise van Nederveen Meerkerk
As Professor of Economic and Social History at Utrecht University, Elise van Nederveen Meerkerk highlights the value of women's work. Her research on topics including industry, sex work, and work in the home shows how crucial women have always been to the way society functions. Her focus is explicitly not limited to the Netherlands; she also positions her analyses in an international or colonial context. Van Nederveen Meerkerk works closely with researchers in other disciplines and ties in her historical research findings with contemporary social issues.
Joop Schaye
Nobody was there to witness the origin of the universe, but thanks to the work of Joop Schaye, Professor of Galaxy Formation at Leiden University, we are getting closer to understanding how that process may have unfolded. He utilises theory, computer models, and observations to investigate the development of structure in the universe from the Big Bang to the present day. It was under his leadership that the largest-ever visualisation of our cosmos was produced. Schaye’s models are used to understand the output from space missions and space telescopes, and his group uses advanced computer simulations to investigate how galaxies and black holes regulate their growth.
Bas van Steensel
Bas van Steensel is fascinated by the genome: billions of letters of genetic code, intricately folded up within a tiny cell. As a group leader at the Netherlands Cancer Institute and Endowed Professor of Chromosome Biology at Utrecht University, he draws on his creativity to continually develop innovative technologies for unravelling hidden genetic codes in DNA and for gaining a precise understanding of how the impressively complex organisation of DNA actually works. With these technologies, Van Steensel helps researchers worldwide to gain a better understanding of the hidden genetic factors involved in conditions such as cancer. His work is therefore bringing us ever closer to more effective and personalised treatments.
Helga de Valk
People's lives pass through various different phases during which all kinds of events take place. Experiences in childhood and young adulthood often have consequences for opportunities in later life. Helga de Valk is Professor of Migration and the Life Course at the University of Groningen and director of the Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI). She studies the life course of young people and adults, focusing particularly on the role of migration and considering both the individual perspective and the broader social context within an international comparative perspective. Drawing on her expertise, she advises European and Dutch policymakers on crucial phases in the life cycle and the role of migration and demographic changes in general.
Max Welling
In the view of computer scientist Max Welling, Europe has no future without its own AI, and so we must fully commit to developing it. As Professor of Machine Learning at the University of Amsterdam, he puts this conviction into practice. Besides developing revolutionary models that have set new standards in artificial intelligence, he is an energetic champion of the further development of machine learning in the Netherlands and Europe. Welling connects the world of academia to politics and the business community, for example with CuspAI, a start-up that combines chemistry and AI so as to develop sustainable materials. Welling is therefore a particularly valuable player as regards making Europe future-proof and autonomous.