KNAW appoints three professors of UG/UMCG as new members

Professors Jingyuan Fu, Lisa Herzog, and Helga de Valk of the UG have been appointed members by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW). The KNAW elected 17 new members. The approximately 600 members of the KNAW are leading scientists from all disciplines. Membership is for life.

About the research of Jingyuan Fu

Jingyuan Fu is Professor of Systems Medicine at the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG).

She carries out pioneering research that combines large-scale data on human genes, the gut microbiome, and environmental and lifestyle factors to understand individual differences in health and disease. Her research focuses on understanding how host–microbe interactions can regulate human metabolism, immunity, and the effectiveness and safety of medications. In addition to large-scale data analysis, Fu is also developing advanced liver-on-a-chip models that can be coupled to gut-on-a-chip and to bacterial culture in order to simulate the gut−liver axis in vitro. As a co-founder of the Groningen Microbiome Hub, an interdisciplinary platform within the UMCG, Fu is also accelerating the translation of scientific knowledge into practice.

About the research of Lisa Herzog

Lisa Herzog is Professor of Political Philosophy and Economics.

Her research focuses on how knowledge is disseminated within society and what impact that has on democracy. She also investigates how moral and democratic values can be given a stronger role within the economy, and how organisations can be structured in a more humane and fairer way. As dean of the Faculty of Philosophy, she actively promotes a democratic administrative culture. Since becoming a member of the Global Young Academy, Herzog has also contributed in various contexts to mentoring refugee scientists and scholars and improving global science equity.

About the research of Helga de Valk

Helga de Valk is Professor of Migration and the Life Course and director of the Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI).

People's lives pass through various different phases during which all kinds of events take place. Experiences in childhood and young adulthood often have consequences for opportunities in later life. She studies the life course of young people and adults, focusing particularly on the role of migration and considering both the individual perspective and the broader social context within an international comparative perspective. Drawing on her expertise, she advises European and Dutch policymakers on crucial phases in the life cycle and the role of migration and demographic changes in general.