Hannah Dugdale (RUG)
NWO domain Science Awards winner | Athena awardProf. Dr. Hannah Dugdale won the NWO domain Science Athena Award in 2024. She will give a brief overview of her research on the evolution of ageing. She will also speak about her work for diversity & inclusion and will share some useful insights she gained in her years as a scientist.
Hannah’s Athena Award jury report
Prof. dr. Hannah Dugdale is a professor at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen. Her research focuses on evolutionary biology and has provided important insights into genetic, social, environmental and intergenerational effects on senescence, highlighting how individual animals can live longer healthier lives. The committee agrees that Hannah is an excellent scientist, she is an established researcher and well recognized in her field. The committee praises her unique commitment towards diversity and inclusion; she is a policy maker, a children’s book author, highly involved in outreach activities mainly focused on young people, and she is a very strong advocate for open science and diversity and inclusion. At the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen she developed a buddy system and a wiki for new employees. She received an award for a MSc. and PhD practical bioinformatics course which includes the importance of open science that she developed. The committee concludes that prof. dr. Hannah Dugdale has a unique profile, she is an excellent scientist, role model and leader, especially for young scientists.
About the Athena award
With the Athena Award, NWO Domain Science wants to draw attention to female researchers in the physical and natural sciences who excel compared to their academic peers, and are therefore a role model for others. Role models are important for starting researchers and demonstrate that a career in science is possible.