KNAW

Since its inception, the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) has been a learned society of outstanding Dutch scientists and scholars. Membership is awarded on the basis of scientific and scholarly achievement. Members are appointed for life. The Academy will appoint a maximum of sixteen new members every year. KNAW membership is regarded as a great honour in the Netherlands.

KNAW members

Since 2026

Jacquelien Scherpen

Jacquelien Scherpen is Professor of Systems and Control at the Faculty of Science and Engineering and Rector Magnificus of the UG. Her research applies to all kinds of technical systems, from controlling robots to regulating smart energy systems. Scherpen made significant contributions to the mathematics of balancing models for ‘non-linear control systems’, such as a thermostat linked to a heating system, thereby reducing their complexity. It is noteworthy that she also collaborated interdisciplinarily with behavioural scientists and economists to incorporate human factors. Scherpen speaks out publicly on science, technology and the development of talent. As a woman in a technical, male-dominated field, Scherpen fulfils her role as a role model with vigour.

Lude Franke

Lude Franke is Professor of Functional Genomics at the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG). He investigates non-coding DNA, genome sequences that are not transcribed into proteins and shed light on how cells and organisms function, and also opened up new avenues for the development of novel drugs. During the covid-19 outbreak, Franke developed the Corona Barometer, which helped us understand how the pandemic was unfolding. In addition, Franke has played a leading role in developing real-world applications for new discoveries, such as an affordable pharmacogenetic passport that predicts a patient's response to certain drugs. Franke also has a gift for visualising his research, and has won several awards for his graphic design work.

Since 2025

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.

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.

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.

Other KNAW members with an appointment at the UG

KNAW Academy Medal

De Royal Netherlands Academy Arts and Sciences awards every other year the Academy Medal to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of science in the Netherlands. In 2019, Trudy Dehue, scientific sociologist, author and emeritus professor of the University of Groningen, received the Academy Medal from the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW). The prize was awarded to Dehue for the fact that she started the societal debate on important issues in science.
Read more about Trudy Dehue

Academy Professors Prizes

Until 2016 the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) also annually awarded two prizes, each worth € 1 million. One prize was awarded to the most excellent researcher in the social sciences or humanities, and the other to the most excellent researcher in the natural, technical or life sciences. The Academy Professor grants were awarded to excellent researchers as lifetime achievement awards for exceptional achievement throughout the course of their careers.

2010: Prof. Elisabeth de Vries

Elisabeth de Vries (Medical Oncology) was appointed Academy Professor in recognition of her pioneering research within a very wide spectrum of medical oncology. She is a prominent international researcher and develops and implements new techniques in both scientific research and patient care.

2010: Prof. Eric Bergshoeff

Eric Bergshoeff (Theoretical Physics) has made important contributions to scientific breakthroughs in the field of string theory and membranes. He is an internationally renowned scientist whose ideas have strongly influenced the field and its development. Throughout his career, Bergshoeff has been an innovative researcher, and his development of brane theory has had a lasting influence on theoretical and mathematical physics.

2008: Prof. Ben Feringa

Ben Feringa was awarded an Academy Professor Prize for his groundbreaking work in the field of chemistry. He became world-famous after he synthesized organic molecules. Feringa was the first person to synthesize molecular motors that continued to turn under the influence of light. Colleagues worldwide regard this as one of the high points of modern chemistry. Many of the postdoc researchers he has attracted from all over the world have moved on to fill high positions at prominent universities outside the Netherlands.

2007: Prof. Dirkje Postma

Dirkje Postma, Professor of the Pathophysiology of Respiration, was awarded an Academy Professorship ‘for her contributions to the field of pulmonary disease’. Postma has worked on asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) and allergies. Her early work, leading to the use of steroids as a standard treatment for asthma patients, has benefited many millions of people worldwide. She continues to do both clinical work and basic research at an exceptional level. She has successfully expanded her research into the genetics of asthma and is now recognized as being one of the leading investigators in this field worldwide.

2005: Prof. Bram Buunk

Bram Buunk , Professor of Social Psychology at the University of Groningen, was awarded an Academy Professorship for his influential theoretical contribution to social comparison theory, his empirical research into social comparison processes in several new domains, and his evolutionary-psychology approach to social behaviour. His work constitutes an important contribution to solving problems linked to work-related stress, burnout, mental health and serious illnesses. His research has also resulted in important new conclusions in the field of jealousy and reciprocity in interpersonal relationships.