Research Master student Arts, Media and Literary Studies Danielle van den Brink wins GUF-100 prize

At the UG Ceremony of Merits on July 4, Danielle van den Brink was awarded the GUF 100 Prize, making her the best student of the Faculty of Arts 2024-2025. Danielle is a Research Master's student Arts, Media and Literary Studies. She was chosen by the jury of the Groningen University Fund (GUF) out of three Arts students, nominated by students and teaching staff of the faculty earlier this year.

The prize consists of a scholarship for study or research worth EUR 2,500 and is annually awarded to the best student of each faculty.

As Research Master student in the Arts, Media and Literary Studies programme at the University of Groningen (UG), research trainee at the University of Leiden and researcher at Windesheim, University of Applied Sciences, Danielle works on a variety of research projects. In addition, she attends summer schools, shares her research at international conferences and teaches English literature. Her remarkable ease in combining all aspects deeply impressed the GUF jury. ‘Danielle is an excellent and highly motivated student for whom an academic career would be a logical next step’, the jury said.

Passion for literacy

At the UG, Danielle’s work takes place in the English department, where she contributes to teaching and research on nineteenth-century literature in collaboration with her mentor, Professor Julia Kühn. At the University of Leiden, she studies the power dynamics of cultural memory and cultural heritage in Victorian and contemporary historical fiction and for Windesheim University of Applied Sciences, she analyzes the reading habits of teachers-in-training and designs educational interventions to promote (digital) literacy amongst students of all ages. Despite the diversity of Danielle's research, her projects are united by one common goal: the promotion of literacy through critical engagement with cultural, political, historical and literary narratives.

Academic career

Danielle is set to graduate from her Research Masters at the end of the next academic year and hopes to put the GUF-100 research grant towards her forthcoming PhD-application, which will be another step towards her wish to pursue an academic career.

UG Ceremony of Merits

The GUF 100 prizes were awarded during the UG Ceremony of Merits on July 4. With the Ceremony of Merits, the UG wants to honor staff and students that made exceptional contributions to the university. Besides the GUF 100 prizes, the winners of the Nicolaas Mulerius Fund dissertation prize (successor of the Wierenga Rengerink Dissertation Award) were announced.

More about the GUF-100 prizes and the winners of 2025

• GUF-100 prizes 2025