Three young researchers to top institutes abroad on Rubicon grants

Three recent PhD graduates from the University of Groningen will be able to conduct research at top institutes abroad for two years thanks to the Rubicon programme organized by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). The NWO Rubicon programme enables talented, young researchers to acquire international research experience to help kick-start their academic careers.

Accepted proposals from University of Groningen researchers:

People and mosquitos vs the dengue virus

Dr Mayra Diosa-Toro, National University of Singapore, Duke-NUS Medical School, 24 months

Millions of people are bitten by mosquitos, many of whom are taken ill with dengue fever. This happens because the cells in our body are unable to kill the dengue virus. Diosa-Toro is going to study how this virus manages to evade the antiviral arsenal of our cells.

Design of the Best Chemistry Sandwich

Dr Machteld Kamminga (Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials), University of Oxford, Department of Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry Lab

Some layered compounds can become superconducting when the right elements are squeezed in between the layers. Kamminga will investigate how this works and how the properties relate to the structure, to determine the best ‘sandwich structure’ for high-temperature superconductors.

Crowding around the Cell Cycle

PhD Alexandros Papagiannakis, Yale University, Microbial Sciences Institute, 24 months

It remains unknown how DNA replication, cellular growth and division are coordinated during the bacterial cell cycle. Papagiannakis will investigate molecular crowding dynamics in bacteria, in search for a cell cycle orchestrator, a primordial time-keeper still ticking in humans.

About the Rubicon programma

A total of 88 applications for Rubicon grants were submitted to NWO in this round, of which 20 were approved. The awardees can use their Rubicon grant to finance up to 24 months of research. The amount of the grant depends on the chosen destination and the duration of the stay. The Rubicon programme was named after the river that Julius Caesar crossed before embarking on the series of victories that eventually led to the motto ‘veni, vidi, vici’.