From climate-resilient crops to better humanitarian aid: eleven WUR researchers awarded Veni grants

In total, 205 researchers at Dutch universities have received a Veni grant, each worth up to €320,000. The grant forms part of the NWO Talent Programme, which gives talented, pioneering and adventurous researchers the opportunity to pursue their own scientific ideas.

The awarded projects demonstrate the breadth and societal relevance of research at Wageningen University & Research: from developing new ways to combine agriculture and nature and making crops more resilient to pests, to improving protein digestibility, discovering new medicines and creating more accurate weather and climate models. The following WUR researchers have received a Veni grant:

European farmers are expected to increase food production while at the same time protecting nature. Many struggle within an agricultural system that leaves little room for innovation. Dr Lenora Ditzler investigates what can be learned from exceptionally innovative farmers who organise their farms more like gardens than factories. Combining science, art and design, she explores how this “garden thinking” could help transform agriculture.

The Colorado potato beetle feeds on potato plants and is one of the greatest threats to potato growers. But how did this insect become one of the world’s best-known crop pests? Dr Peter Karssemeijer compares American beetles that do not feed on potatoes with European pest populations to reconstruct the evolution of potato preference. He also investigates how certain host plants kill the beetle’s eggs before the larvae hatch. This knowledge could help researchers develop crops that are naturally more resistant to pests, reducing the need for pesticides.

Drought, insect pests and plant diseases are placing increasing pressure on food production worldwide. Dr Clara Lago investigates how drought affects plants' natural defences against aphids and the viruses they transmit. By closely tracking aphid behaviour and studying plant responses at the molecular level, her project aims to identify plant traits that reduce virus transmission by aphids. This knowledge could contribute to the development of more resilient crops for a changing climate.

Lactic acid bacteria, such as those found in yoghurt, produce microscopic vesicles that transport vitamins. These extracellular vesicles (EVs), for example, help support bone health. Dr Yue Liu aims to harness these natural delivery systems for human health by developing methods to produce them more efficiently and load them with additional vitamins. Using laboratory models of the gut and bones, she will investigate whether these vesicles can successfully travel through the body and deliver their cargo.

Some sections of DNA are able to move within a genome or even jump into the DNA of another organism. Although these genetic movements are often harmful, they can also help species adapt to changing environments. Dr Ursula Oggenfuss studies this process in fungi by comparing a strain that infects salamanders with a closely related species that infects frogs. The substantial differences between these related fungi suggest that mobile DNA has been active in the past or may still be active today. Her project investigates how mobile DNA alters the three-dimensional structure of fungal genomes and what role this plays in evolution and environmental adaptation.

Conventional medicines affect not only their intended target but also other parts of the body they encounter along the way. Prodrugs offer a solution: they travel through the body in an inactive form and become active only once they reach their target. Dr Eva Meeus is developing a new chemical reaction that allows researchers to activate such prodrugs with great precision. Her work aims to contribute to the next generation of safer and more effective medicines that are activated only where and when they are needed.

Proteins are essential building blocks of a healthy diet. For infants, older people and other vulnerable groups, it is particularly important that proteins are easily digested and efficiently absorbed by the body. Dr Qing Ren investigates how small chemical changes to milk proteins, known as post-translational modifications, can improve nutrient absorption and reduce allergic reactions. She will use the findings to develop an AI model that predicts which proteins or peptides are most effectively absorbed, enabling other researchers to design improved protein ingredients. The project aims to contribute to more nutritious and less allergenic proteins for a sustainable food future.

Humanitarian organisations constantly face difficult decisions: where is food aid needed most, which projects should be prioritised, and how can scarce resources be allocated most effectively? Existing optimisation methods generally assume that all uncertainty can be treated in the same way. In reality, uncertainties differ in type, scale and the amount of information available. Dr Meike Reusken is developing new mathematical models that better capture these complex uncertainties, helping humanitarian and development organisations make better-informed decisions.

Misinformation is a major societal challenge. Many initiatives teach young people to approach news critically, but this critical attitude can sometimes increase distrust. Dr Sanne Tamboer therefore takes a different approach. Working with young people, journalists and teachers, she investigates how young people decide what they trust. Based on these insights, she will develop more effective interventions tailored to their needs. In doing so, she aims to strengthen informed news engagement and democratic resilience.

Bacteria are remarkable chemists, converting simple nutrients into valuable compounds such as antibiotics and anti-cancer drugs. What they produce depends on the materials available and the signals they receive from inside and outside the cell. Dr Barbara Terlouw is building a computer model of a bacterial cell to predict which compounds are produced under different conditions. This will help identify the optimal conditions for bacteria to produce medicines, accelerating and improving the search for new drugs.

Clouds play a crucial role in weather and climate, but accurately simulating their behaviour remains challenging. The transport of energy through solar and thermal radiation in the atmosphere, for example, is a complex three-dimensional process. To reduce computational costs, current atmospheric models simplify these calculations. Dr Menno Veerman investigates how more accurate calculations of solar and thermal radiation can improve weather simulations. His research aims to contribute to more reliable weather and climate models and a better understanding of the atmosphere.

The Veni grant is one of the Netherlands’ most prestigious personal research grants. NWO awards the grant to researchers who have recently obtained their PhD and have already demonstrated their ability to develop innovative research ideas. The grant provides three years of funding to establish and further develop an independent line of research. Veni is the first stage of the NWO Talent Programme, followed by the Vidi and Vici grants for more experienced researchers.

• NWO - Veni 2025