Storm-van der Chijs Fund
The Storm-van der Chijs Fund supports and encourages excellent female WUR PhD candidates
The Storm-van der Chijs Fund encourages and supports female PhD candidates of Wageningen University & Research in their careers. Through the provision of stipends, they are given the opportunity to further profile themselves internationally and to gain valuable experience outside the Netherlands.
The Fund engages all WUR professors by asking them to nominate one of their women PhD candidates. The awarding takes place after a WUR lecture or panel about gender in academia and research, or on gender in one of WUR research domains.
International Symposium Gender+ Equality in Academia and Research + Farewell speech
Wed. 22 April 2026, 13.00-18.30 including welcome tea and drinks & bites after
Omnia, Podium, Hoge Steeg 2, Campus WUR
No fees; please register for catering, calender invite and updates:
Register here; Participants abroad can connect online; we send the link upon registration
Preliminary programme
13.00 Coffee/tea and occasion to read the thesis and project posters
13.30 Welcome
13.45 Presentations on New Insights with Q&A:
- Change-Makers in Academia and Research: lessons learned on the significance of change agents and their needs of support and care, Dr. Marcela Linková, Head Centre for Gender and Science, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague; Member State Co-chair of the ERA Forum Sub-group on Inclusive Gender Equality.
- Towards Intersectionality in Policy-Making at EU Academia: Insights based on Case Studies including WUR, Prof. dr. Yvonne Benschop, Organisational Behaviour, Institute for Management Research, Radboud University Nijmegen; Chair of Dutch Network of Women’s Professors.
- Climate Coloniality: Revisiting Education and Research, Prof.dr. Farhana Sultana, Research Director (Environment) Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflicts and Collaboration (PARCC), Geography and the Environment, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University, USA.
15.30 Coffee/tea break and occasion to read the posters
16.00 Positioning New Insights within WUR Past, Present and Future
- Farewell address: Looking back and forward based on 50 years change at WUR,
Dr Margreet van der Burg, Intersectional Gender Studies, KTI, Wageningen University - WUR panel (tbc) and audience: what resonates, what to add, and what to act upon
17.15 Ceremonial closing with presentation on Storm-van der Chijs Fund and awarding of poster winner(s)
17.45-18.30 Drinks & Bites and occasion to read the posters
Inspiration for the fund
The fund is named after Mienette Storm-van der Chijs, a female auto-didact and global traveler of the 19th Century. She symbolizes courage, talent and perseverance. She was a woman who followed her own path and spoke out publicly on how to advance agriculture, including both international knowledge exchange and the position and education of farm women.
Her name is linked to the conviction that talent deserves recognition and that women must be given every opportunity to grow, to be visible and to make an impact. This conviction forms the inspiration for the fund: supporting women so they can effectuate their ambitions to their full potential and strengthen their position in science.
“The Storm-van der Chijs Stipend opened new collaborations for me that will be very important for my future in research (…). I am very grateful for the Storm-Van der Chijs Fund (…).”
Why this is so important
Although female researchers at all levels demonstrate exceptional talent, their position in science is not yet self evident. International experience, visibility and collaboration play a crucial role in this, particularly in the early stages of a scientific career. The Storm-van der Chijs Fund contributes to this by actively supporting female PhD candidates of Wageningen University & Research in their professional development. The stipends strengthen their position in science and encourage an international orientation from the very first steps on the scientific career ladder.
What does the Storm-van der Chijs Fund make possible?
The stipends of the Storm-van der Chijs Fund provide opportunities for:
- a research visit to one or more scientific institutions abroad, and/or
- participation in an international conference within the recipient’s own field of expertise.
International exchange and collaboration are central to the fund. In this way, the fund contributes to the international orientation and visibility of female PhD candidates of Wageningen University & Research.
“This conference gave me the opportunity to network with experts. I connected with Danish Professors (…). We are in email contact about exchanging analytical expertise (…).”
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