Spinoza Prizes 2015 for René Janssen, Birgit Meyer, Aad van der Vaart and Cisca Wijmenga

NWO announced the winners of the Spinoza Prizes 2015: Organic chemistry authority René Janssen, religious studies scholar Birgit Meyer, statistician Aad van der Vaart and human genetics professor Cisca Wijmengahave are awarded with the highest prize in Dutch science. In September this year, each of the laureates will receive € 2.5 million to spend on scientific research.

The NWO Spinoza Prize is a personal award for top researchers with international reputations. NWO requests selected persons to nominate candidates for this prize. A maximum of four prizes are awarded annually. The prize is an honorary award for what the winners have achieved in their scientific career and an encouragement to continue doing excellent research. In essence the prize works as an impulse for scientific research in the Netherlands.

On September 14, 2015 the prizes will be presented during a special ceremony at the Nieuwe Kerk in The Hague. The laureates will then receive their prize money and present their research as well as their plans for the coming years.