Two Rubicon grants for UG researchers

Two young researchers from the UG have received Rubicon grants from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO). With this grant they are given the opportunity to conduct research at a foreign educational institution. The Rubicon program is intended to give young, promising scientists the opportunity to gain international research experience. Dr. Lucía Berro Pizzarossa has been awarded to conduct research into drug abortion from a human rights perspective. Stefany Moreno-Gámez will use the award for her research into the influence of breastfeeding on the intestinal bacteria in babies.

With a Rubicon grant, early-career researchers can conduct research for up to 24 months at a foreign research institute such as the Technical University of Munich or Harvard University. The amount of the grant depends on the chosen destination and the duration of the stay. The Dutch Research Council awards around 60 Rubicon grants per year to early-career researchers (amounting to a total value of € 7 million, divided into three rounds). The majority of the researchers selected in this round will spend up to 24 months abroad. Experience abroad is an important career step for many researchers. The UG recipients were awarded grants in the first round of 2020.

Revolutionary pills?

Dr Lucía Berro Pizzarossa, Faculty of Law -> United States, Georgetown University, O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, 24 months

Medication abortion is safer than many drugs, can be done at home and contributes to reduced deaths for unsafe abortion worldwide. This project uses human rights to explore how these pills can change the legal and policy landscape of abortion.

Breastfeeding, gut microbes and health

Stefany Moreno-Gámez, Faculty of Science and Engineering -> United States, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Broad Institute, 24 months

The researcher will study how breastfeeding affects the formation of gut bacterial communities in infants. The results will help develop prebiotics from human milk to promote the establishment of beneficial bacteria in the infant gut, which has long-term health advantages