First two YES! fellowships awarded by FOM
This month, the Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter (FOM) awarded the first two YES! fellowships (grants) to the researchers Dr. Joep Pijpers (AMOLF) and Dr. Andrea Baldi (TU Delft). The fellowships were awarded in the context of the 'Fellowships for Young Energy Scientists' (YES!) programme, which was initiated by FOM. YES! focuses on promising young researchers who have recently obtained a PhD, who have innovative ideas on the conservation, generation and storage of energy, and who aspire to an academic career in fundamental energy research.
Energy is one of the biggest issues of the 21st century. While much can be achieved by the improvement and further refinement of existing technologies, radical new ideas in the field of energy are urgently needed. For this reason, the Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter (FOM) plans to use the YES! programme to create favourable conditions for the generation and implementation of pioneering ideas. FOM also hopes that YES! will help the Netherlands to reinforce and renew its position in the international field of foundational energy research. This requires creative and highly talented young researchers, as well as an inspiring environment.
YES! fellowships will give these two talented researchers, Joep Pijpers and Andrea Baldi, an opportunity to develop their knowledge of foundational (physical) energy research. At the same time, they will be able to hone their skills, find inspiration, and gain experience in this field. To this end, they will work at one or two centres of excellence outside the Netherlands for up to three years. Following their stay abroad, they will have the opportunity to conduct research at a Dutch research institute for up to one year. This final year of the YES! fellowship is intended to give an impetus to the process of embedding the knowledge obtained into the edifice of Dutch scientific research. It is a condition of YES! fellowships that the chosen line of investigation in the field of energy research should be new to the Netherlands. Accordingly, this programme will structurally enrich Dutch energy research.
The experience and knowledge that they have gained will enable YES! fellows to establish new lines of research in the area of energy, by obtaining a permanent academic post or a VIDI grant for example. For the researchers involved, this is a great way to qualify for an academic career in energy research at top international level.
New round
The YES! research programme's budget is sufficient for five YES! grants/fellowships. Three YES! grants are still available. Any PhD students who are interested in this opportunity are cordially invited to register. Click here for the detailed Call for Proposals, or visit www.fom.nl/yes. Here you will find guidelines on how to submit an application for a YES! fellowship, details of the requirements that such applications must meet, and information concerning the selection procedure.