Tessa Quax to receive KNAW Early Career Award

Tessa Quax has been awarded the Early Career Award by the KNAW (Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences). The KNAW presents twelve of these awards to researchers at Dutch universities annually. The award is intended for young researchers with innovative, original research ideas. The winners' research is relevant to society: Tessa Quax is a pioneer in the effect of viruses on single-celled micro-organisms.

The KNAW Early Career Awards, consisting of €15,000 and a work of art, will be presented during a celebratory event in KNAW’s Trippenhuis on February 14, 2022. Quax is Associate Professor of Biology of Archaea and Viruses at the Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute and receives her award in the domain of Natural Sciences and Technology.

Pioneer in the effect of viruses

Tessa Quax is intrigued by the diversity and evolution of viruses. She studies the mechanisms by which viruses infect microorganisms called archaea. Archaea are single-celled organisms found in the most disparate places in the world. They grow in hot springs, in salt lakes, and in the human intestine. Her research contributes to a better understanding of the role of viruses in nature and their effect on the evolution of single-celled organisms. Quax is a pioneer in this field and seeks to connect virologists who study micro-organisms through her positions in various international professional associations.

Twist to a work of art

The winners represent the full breadth of science and have been selected in the four Academy domains: Humanities; Behavioural Sciences, Social Sciences and Law; Natural Sciences and Engineering; and Medical, Biomedical and Health Sciences. There are three winners in each domain. The KNAW Early Career Award consists of a monetary award of €15,000 and an art object by Laura Klinkenberg. It is a brass screw with a twist, representing the ‘twist’ needed in both research and art to come up with new ideas and symbolising the contrariness of research.

More information

Quax her research is featured at quaxlab.org/research/ .