Top-class ethnic minority graduates to receive doctoral grants

22 July 2009

The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) has awarded grants under the Mosaic programme to twenty young, talented ethnic minority graduates. The budding researchers can use the grant to conduct doctoral research over a four-year period. The certificates will be presented at a ceremony in October.

Twenty of the 43 full proposals are to be awarded a subsidy, with each candidate receiving 200,000 euro for doctoral research at a university. This takes the total budget for 2009 to four million euro, a sum to be funded jointly by NWO and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW).

In total, 114 students and graduates responded to a call for research ideas. The 43 best candidates were invited to attend NWO workshops and develop their research ideas further. They were then invited to present their full proposals to an expert evaluation committee.

Broad palette

The aim of NWO’s Mosaic programme is to encourage the intake of graduates from minority groups into scientific research. NWO hopes that the successful candidates will remain in Dutch science in the long term and fulfil an exemplary role for others.

As is the case every year, the winners come from all four corners of the world: from Morocco to Afghanistan, Indonesia, China and Macedonia. Slightly over half of them are female. Most of the candidates come from the (bio-)medical sciences and the social and behavioural sciences. Three universities stand out this year with four laureates each: Leiden University, VU University Amsterdam and Erasmus University Rotterdam.

The winners of a Mosaic grant are ambitious young scientists. Many of them have already won prizes or contributed to scientific publications during their studies. Some have combined several courses of study. Eleven candidates are graduating in 2009 and will be able to start their doctoral research immediately.

NWO will also bring the unsuccessful but nevertheless excellent candidates to the universities' attention. Last year, this meant that a number of candidates still received a doctoral position from the university.

The twenty 2009 laureates will receive their certificates from NWO chairman Prof. Jos Engelen at a presentation ceremony in late October. Further information will follow after the summer. Journalists are welcome to attend.

A list of researchers receiving an award is given below.

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For further information on Mosaic, contact:

List of Mosaic award winners

Kidney transplantation? Get your genes involved!
R. (Rachida) Bouamar (f), 11-04-1984, Erasmus University Rotterdam - Hospital Pharmacy/Internal medicine
Tacrolimus is a drug prescribed after kidney transplantation to prevent rejection. The efficacy and side effects of tacrolimus depend on genetic factors. This study shall examine how adjusting the dose according to genetic disposition can improve the outcomes following kidney transplantation.

Psychopathy, errors and the brain
I. (Inti) Brazil (m) 22-12-1982, Radboud University Nijmegen/Donders Institute - Psychiatry
Psychopathy is a severe personality disorder that is often associated with an antisocial lifestyle characterised by violence and socially undesirable behaviour. This project shall investigate the role of error processing in the brain of psychopaths during social interactions and in learning behaviour.

Mysticism for a new century
M. A. (Anna) Dlabačová (f) 17-01-1983, Leiden University - Literature
Hendrik Herp was the first great mystic of the fifteenth century and his ‘Spieghel der volcomenheit’ was an absolute bestseller. Research into the compilation and dissemination of this mystical guide shall throw light on the immense popularity and literary influence of the text.

Interfering with Interferon: Strategies of Enteroviruses to suppress host innate immunity
Q. (Qian) Feng (f) 21-06-1985, Radboud University Nijmegen - Medical Microbiology
Viral diseases have always been a burden to humans. Enteroviruses are a large group of human viruses that can cause various diseases such as the paralytic poliomyelitis, myocarditis, viral meningitis in young babies, adult common cold, and more. Enteroviruses have evolved to escape our immune responses thereby gaining a replication advantage. This study aims to investigate how Enteroviruses achieve this, and will open up ways of counteracting their immune evasion strategies.

How can organisations benefit from employees’ career investments?
C. (Chen) Fliesher (m) 02-09-1981, VU University Amsterdam - Economics and Business Administration
The study shall examine how and under which conditions employees can contribute to their employing organisations through investing in the development of their careers. The results will offer fresh alternatives to traditional career management practices for both public and private sector organisations.

Islamic Investments: Are the Prophet’s ways profitable?
R. (Raphie) Hayat (m) 22-04-1983, VU University Amsterdam - Economics
With an average growth rate of 15% per year, Islamic investment is one of the fastest growing niches in today’s financial marketplace. This study aims to find out what the returns and risks of these investments are.

Regional television and democracy in Indonesia
B. (Bram) Hendrawan (m) 08-11-1980, Utrecht University - Media Studies
Regional television is gaining ground in Indonesia. Over the past 5 years more than 100 new regional broadcasting companies have been founded in various cities. How are these regional broadcasters contributing to the democratisation process in Indonesia after the fall of President Soeharto?

RNA – Molecule of Life?
E.V. (Katja) Iachina (f) 06-12-1982, VU University Amsterdam - Genetics
Besides essential genes, the genetic material of plants and animals contains a lot of seemingly useless DNA. This project shall investigate how and on what scale non-coding RNA products originating from parasitoid DNA in plants disrupt the normal functioning of genes.

Islamic Burials in the Netherlands and Belgium?
K. (Khadija) Kadrouch (f) 19-06-1983, Leiden University - Law/Religious Studies
This research aims to provide insights into the current legal possibilities for Muslims to be buried in the Netherlands and Belgium according to Islamic burial rules. Additionally it shall shed light on how Muslim scholars view Muslim burial and the wishes of Muslims with respect to burial practices.

(Pan-) Asian identities in the Netherlands
R.A. (Reza) Kartosen (m) 10-01-1973, University of Amsterdam - Communication Science
Besides Dutch and Asian ethnic/national identities, Asian Dutch young people also construct pan-Asian identities. By studying their use of pan-Asian Dutch popular culture it shall become clear why these young people construct pan-Asian identities and what this means for their cultural citizenship.

Mysterious ring, strange moon
K. (Kartik) Kumar (m) 29-09-1984, Delft University of Technology - Aerospace Engineering
In 2006, a mysterious blue ring and a moon in a peculiar orbit were discovered around Uranus. By modelling the interaction between the particles of the ring and the moon I shall investigate which physical effects explain these phenomena. 

Are antibiotics threatened with extinction or is there hope?
N. (Nora) Liu (f) 04-07-1986, Leiden University/Netherlands Cancer Institute - Cell Biology
The current generation of antibiotics are threatened with extinction because an increasing number of bacteria are becoming resistance to these. Recently a new and highly-promising antibiotic target was found, namely PKB/Akt1. This research shall focus on the development of better and more selective PKB/Akt1 inhibitors that can be used as potential new antibiotics.

Macrophages and the development of hypertrophic scars in burned skin
B. (Babak) Mahdavian Delavary (m) 20-09-1982 VU University Amsterdam Medical Centre - Molecular Cell biology and Immunology/ Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand Surgery
Macrophages play an important part in wound healing and the development of excessive scars after burns to the skin. If the functional phenotype of macrophages is changed the wound healing can normalise and the development of excessive scars can be prevented.

Contact with ethnic minorities: positive or negative effect?
K. (Katerina) Manevska (f) 17-09-1985, Erasmus University Rotterdam - Sociology
Contact with ethnic minorities can influence how people think about these groups. During this research project it shall be investigated for which social groups, as a response to which ethnic minority groups and under which economic circumstances this contact results in a more negative or a more positive view of ethnic minorities.

Optimal time for the replacement of the pulmonary valve
M.M. (Mostafa) Mokhles (m) 15-05-1985, Erasmus Medical Centre - Cardiothoracic surgery
In children with a congenital abnormality of the pulmonary valve the diseased valve can be replaced by a donor valve. However, donor valves have a limited lifetime and need to be replaced after a few years. This research shall focus on optimising the treatment of these patients.

How to treat patients with hepatic encephalopathy
I.L (Liliane) Mpabanzi (f), 19-03-1984, Maastricht University/Maastricht University Medical Centre - Surgery
Liver failure induces hyperammonemia, which is the main cause of hepatic encephalopathy, a sometimes fatal clinical syndrome. This project will investigate a novel approach for the treatment of this syndrome by stimulating renal ammonia excretion with glucocorticoids.

Corporate reputation in financial markets
I.N. (Ivana) Naumovska (f), 23-04-1985, Erasmus University Rotterdam - Rotterdam School of Management
Corporate reputations have suffered significantly in recent times, especially in the financial markets. Investors’ trust in businesses has deteriorated. This research project shall examine the measurement, functioning and management of corporate reputations in the context of financial markets.

Islamitic gender discourse, religious authority and the development of a European Islam S (Sahar) Noor (f) 14-04-1983, Radboud University Nijmegen - Religious Studies
This study shall analyse the formal and informal women’s groups of female converts to Islam and born-Muslim women in the Netherlands and Belgium. Within this context the focus will be on gender discourses, the roles of religious authority and the development of a European Islam.

Proliferation and differentiation of stem cells, resident in the heart
S. (Sailay) Siddiqi (f) 21-2-1984, University Medical Centre Utrecht - Cardiology
Long-term enhancement of heart function after a heart attack requires a robust reparative capacity of the heart. This seems to be missing. Therefore an additional stimulation of the division of heart-resident stem cells is needed, followed by a process to ensure that they reach the right spot at the right time where they can be guided towards becoming functional heart cells.

Re-inventing state-civil society relations in Bolivia
S.V. (Soledad) Valdivia Rivera (f) 10-04-1985, Leiden University - Latin American Studies
The indigenous President Evo Morales (2006-2009) has introduced comprehensive reforms in how social movements influence the decision-making process within the Bolivian state. This research shall explore the main institutional measures adopted and the indigenous movements’ responses to these changes.

last modified on 16 September 2009