Four researchers received top honors in science

World-famous leading scientists

Researchers receive the award for their excellent, pioneering and inspiring work. For both awards, the quality of the researcher comes first; While the Spinoza Prize focuses on scholarly work and fundamental issues, the Stephen Prize primarily honors social impact.

Spinozaprimes

Professor Dr. Bernette Elzinga

Bernett Elzinga (1970) is professor of stress-related psychopathology at Leiden University. Based on insights and methods from various disciplines, she develops easily accessible interventions to help parents and young people, which also reduce the risk of intergenerational transmission of psychological problems. This approach makes her work very innovative, both scientific and practical.

Professor Dr. Detlef van Vuuren

Detlev van Vuuren (1970) is a professor at Utrecht University and a senior researcher at the Dutch Environmental Assessment Agency. With his research based on the IMAGE model developed by his team, he provides scientists and policy makers with a tool to assess the long-term impacts of various climate and environmental policy options. His research plays an important role, among other things, in the Paris Climate Agreement, and he has contributed to several reports issued by the UN Climate Commission.

Steven Award

Professor Dr. David Abbink

Professor of Human-Robot Interaction David Abink (1977) at Delft studies ways to improve the design of intelligent support systems for humans. Through a multidisciplinary approach, he has mapped the entire working environment into which robots need to be integrated. It greatly increases the chance of success of these types of high-tech innovations. This is important, because our aging society desperately needs the support of robots.

Professor Dr. Paul T. Hart

Bolt Hart (1963), Professor of Public Administration at Utrecht University, has trained thousands of civil servants and advised hundreds of governments and office holders at local, national and international levels. He has an impressive network of relationships and an excellent reputation inside and outside the country’s borders, as a researcher and policy advisor. Hart is considered one of the most influential public administration scholars in the Netherlands and the initiator of a new movement: positive public administration.

Selection process

The NWO invites a limited number of people to nominate scholars as candidates for the Spinoza Prize or the Stephen Prize based on their positions. The Spinoza and Stephen Commission consisted of seventeen members, from various countries and sciences. Members of the business community and social organizations are also participating. Based on the nominations, the committee prepares a shortlist of nominees for the Spinoza Prize and the Stephen Prize. For each candidate, committee members will then speak with several foreign experts. Based in part on these conversations, the NWO committee recommended that these four laureates be awarded this year’s Spinoza and Stephen Prize. Including the new winners, the Netherlands now has 109 Spinoza Prize winners and fourteen Stephen Prize winners.

Issuing insurance premiums

The ceremonial presentation of the Spinoza and Stephen Prizes will take place on Wednesday 2 October 2024. During the presentation, the winners will provide insight into the content of their research and it will become clear what they want to use the prize for.