Thijs van der Laan and Prof. Giovanni Maglia win FSE Impact Award 2025

Thijs van der Laan and Prof. Giovanni Maglia won this year's FSE Impact Award. Van der Laan received the Award in the student category and will receive a cash prize of EUR 1,000 for his interdisciplinary project using AI to support people with aphasia in everyday communication. Maglia received the Award in the researcher category and will receive a cash prize of EUR 1,500 for developing a nanopore-based protein sequencer with strong potential for clinical diagnostics. The prize was awarded during the yearly New Year’s Reception in the Feringa Building.

The awards were presented by Mark Kas, teamleader Research, Strategy and Partnerships of the Faculty of Science and Engineering. Van der Laan and Maglia are now FSE's candidates for the UG-wide Ben Feringa Impact Award 2026.

Student category: ‘AI-phasia: Next-Word Prediction for Pauses and Paraphasias in Agrammatic Anomic Aphasic Speech Using Unidirectional Large Language Models’ - Thijs van der Laan

This interdisciplinary project sits at the crossroads of neurolinguistics, artificial intelligence, and healthcare, with supervision from both FSE and the Faculty of Arts. It explores how large language models (LLMs) can help alleviate the communication challenges caused by aphasia, a serious brain disorder. In collaboration with AfasieNet—a national network that connects aphasia patients, clinicians, and researchers—the nominee designed and conducted a pilot study for a digital tool that supports patients in finding the right words during real-life conversations. The jury commends the nominee’s initiative to translate advanced AI technologies into a clinically relevant setting and acknowledges the strong potential for improving patient well-being and rehabilitation outcomes.

Want to learn more about Van der Laan's project? Read this interview.

Researcher category: ‘World's first full-length single-molecule protein sequencer’ - Giovanni Maglia

This project on nanopores represents a major breakthrough in analytical science. Building on an exceptional scientific track record, Prof. Giovanni Maglia (GBB) has secured multiple patents and founded a start-up company that has successfully attracted over 40 million euros in investor funding. In collaboration with the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), the team is now working to integrate nanopore technology into hospital diagnostics. The jury is convinced that this pioneering research is on the verge of achieving tangible real-world impact, paving the way for faster and more precise medical testing.

Want to learn more about Maglia's project? Read this article.

Honourable mentions

The jury also wishes to mention the runner-ups in both categories because of their impressive research projects.

• In the student category: Alisha Pinto

• In the researcher category: Prof. Ajay Kottapalli

FSE Impact Award

Since 2019, the Faculty rewards a student who has made a special achievement with a project in connecting scientific research to social, economic or professional practice.

The student (team) receives a cash prize of EUR 1,000. The researcher (or research team) receives a cash prize of EUR 1,500.

The winners of the FSE Impact Award will automatically be the FSE candidates for the university-wide Ben Feringa Impact Award. The student winner of which receives a cash prize of EUR 2,500, while the researcher EUR 5,000.

A jury advises the Faculty Board about the selection of a winner for each category.

Jury

The jury for the FSE Impact Award 2025 was composed of the following members:

• Prof. Ton Broekhuis, chairman, honorary professor of Product Technology (ENTEG)

• Prof. Reinoud Gosens, professor of Translational Pharmacology (GRIP)

• Sieuwert Molema, former student assessor at FSE, master's student in Biomedical Sciences

• Dr. Henk Mulder, lecturer and former programme director Master Science Education and Communication. Science Shop coordinator (Science LinX)

• Jorien Zevenberg, lecturer Science & Society and PhD student Sustainable nature conservation

• Dr. Mark Kas, jury secretary, Faculty Office FSE