Awarded Rubicon Grants round 2008-2

Can I hitch a ride with somebody please?
N.A.H. Agatz (m), 26-12-1978, Erasmus University Rotterdam -> Georgia Tech, School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (USA), 12 months
Sharing car journeys ('ride-sharing') is a highly promising way of reducing pressure on the environment and the road network. The researchers shall develop methods which should make it possible for people to easily find a 'ride-share' in the future via their mobile phone.

Nano-electronics with DNA
Dr H.B. Akkerman (m) 07-06-1980, University of Groningen -> Stanford University, Chemical Engineering (USA), 24 months
In the near future nanotechnology shall penetrate into every layer of our society. This requires new manufacturing methods for the associated electronics. The aim of this research project is to realise reliable electronics with the help of DNA and its characteristics.

Rotation of stars in the formation of stars and planets
S.H. Albrecht (m) 19-02-1976, Leiden Observatory -> Massachusetts MIT - Astrophysics and Space Research (USA), 24 months
Stars and planets are born in rotating interstellar clouds. This research shall shed light on the formation and evolution of stars and planets with the help of new and detailed measurements of the orientation of the rotational axes of stars.

Cell migration in view
K.M. Bonger (f) 02-11-1980, Leiden University -> Stanford University (USA), 24 months
The migration of cells is an important biological process that is involved in growth and diseases. The researchers shall develop a new method to study specific molecular changes at the front and rear of a migrating cell in order to determine the exact functioning of the proteins involved.

Tissue morphogenesis in living fruit flies
Dr F. Bosveld (m) 06-10-1977, University Medical Centre Groningen -> Institute Curie (F), 24 months
Morphogenesis forms the basis for the development of fully functioning organs. With the help of advanced microscopes and software, the scientists shall for the first time study the behaviour of individual cells as they undergo morphogenesis in the growing tissues of living fruit flies.

Genes that play a role in prostate cancer
Dr M.T. Epping (f) 21-04-1978, Netherlands Cancer Institute -> Harvard University, Genetics (USA), 24 months
Prostate cancer can develop due to mistakes arising in some genes. There are also genes which exert a protective effect against cancer. The researchers shall study three genes to understand how these influence the chance of developing prostate cancer.

Smart birds learn to sing while sleeping
S.M.H. Gobes (f) 28-02-1981, Utrecht University -> Harvard University (USA), 24 months
At a young age, birds learn a song from their father just as children learn to talk by listening to their parents. The researchers want to understand how this memory of the song from the father is converted into an own song. In this research the learning process that takes place during sleep shall be studied.

Cholesterol in the pancreas and type II diabetes mellitus
W. de Haan (f) 12-9-1980, Leiden University Medical Centre -> University of British Columbia (CAN), 24 months
Type II diabetes mellitus is a highly prevalent condition which is often associated with disrupted cholesterol levels in the blood. This study shall investigate how processes involved in cholesterol storage in insulin-producing cells in the pancreas influence the development and treatment of type II diabetes mellitus.

New treatment options for metabolic syndrome
R.H.L. Houtkooper (m) 29-07-1981, AMC University of Amsterdam-> Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale the Lausanne, Interfaculty Institute of Bioengineering (CH), 24 months
Metabolic syndrome, which includes obesity and type II diabetes mellitus, is a frequently occurring problem in Western society. Besides calorie restriction and physical exercise there are few treatment options. The researchers shall investigate new targets in diabetic mice in order to develop new medicines.

Arguing with if-then sentences in context
J. Huitink (f) 17-10-1979, Radboud University Nijmegen -> Catholic University of Leuven, Laboratory of Experimental Psychology (BE), 24 months
A change in context, such as the addition of extra information, influences our willingness to draw conclusions from if-then sentences. Conclusions that previously seemed plausible, are then suddenly no longer acceptable. This study shall establish exactly which contextual factors are responsible for the withdrawal of inferences.

Positive interactions and the response of food webs to increasing stress
Dr S. Kéfi (f) 07-11-1981, Utrecht University -> Darmstadt University of Technology (D), 24 months
The effect of human actions on ecosystems is continuing to increase. Ecosystems respond to this in different ways. Some ecosystems can unexpectedly and irreversibly change as a result of climate change or human actions. However, it is vitally important to understand and predict these sudden changes, as they can be associated with a great loss of ecological and economic values. Modelling studies have revealed that positive interactions between organisms (for example, vegetation that improves the local environment by increasing the amount of nutrients and water) are important mechanisms that can explain these drastic changes in ecosystems. This research shall examine these positive interactions in food webs and how they help us to understand how ecosystems respond to increasing stress.

Rheumatoid arthritis
F. Kurreeman (f) Leiden University Medical Centre -> Harvard Medical School (USA), 24 months
One percent of the Dutch population suffers from the chronic autoimmune disease rheumatoid arthritis. At present five genes are known to be associated with rheumatism. Among other things I shall investigate the genetics of several large patient-control cohorts. This shall lead to a better understanding of the disease process and that might contribute to the development of new treatments for rheumatism.

Self-assembly on a colossal scale
Dr. C. Lavigueur (f) 19-09-1981, Simon Fraser University -> RU, Chemistry (NL), 12 maanden
Self-assembly is the spontaneous formation of complex ordered structures by small units such as molecules. The researchers will study the self-assembly of bio-hybrid compounds incorporating viruses that are approximately one hundred times larger than a typical small molecule.

The interaction between ecology and evolution - Ecogenetic feedback and the structure of ecological communities
Dr E. van Leeuwen, (m) 23-12-1977, University of London -> University of Groningen, Community and Conservation Ecology group (NL), 12 months
Evolution and ecology influence each other. The evolution of new species can have important consequences for species already present, and conversely species already present can also prevent new species from developing and/or establishing elsewhere. In this study I shall develop mathematical and model-based methods to gain a better understanding of this interaction. These new methods can then be applied to improve our understanding of how the current species-rich living communities and ecosystems have evolved and how so many species can continue to live alongside each other.

Single-molecule sensing by plasmonic nanocrystals
Ms X.Y. Ling (f) 30-05-1979, UT -> University of California, Berkeley, Chemistry (VS), 24 maanden
Detecting single molecule has been a challenge for scientists over many decades. This proposal aims to develop multicomponent anisotropic nanocrystals for advanced singlemolecule Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) sensing. The research will focus on the morphological-controlled synthesis and assembly multicomponent anisotropic nanocrystals to improve the SERS sensitivity.

Bequeathing the self
Dr S.J.M. Mareel (m) l5-07-1974, University of California, Berkeley, (USA) -> University of Groningen, Historical Dutch Literature (NL), 12 months
In 1561 the Bruges rhetorician Eduard de Dene collected a large number of his poems in the strongly autobiographical Testament Rhetoricael. This study shall determine which factors were responsible for determining the image of the poet in this text.

Less miles with virtual market places
Dr M.R.K. Mes (m) 20-07-1976, University of Twente -> Princeton University (USA), 6 months
Driving without cargo is a fact of life in transport. After all the influx and outflow of goods differs per region and not all transport jobs are known in advance. This study shall examine how the empty miles can be reduced by making use of virtual marketplaces.

The Social Value of Privacy
Dr. D. Mokrosinska (v) 22-08-1968, UvA -> The University of North Carolina, Department of Philosophy (VS), 11 maanden
Violations of individual privacy are usually associated with damage to the interests of particular individuals whose privacy has been invaded. This research explores the idea that violations of individual privacy harm the interests of the society as a whole.

The antiquity as an argument today
Dr M. De Pourcq (m) 16-04-1979, Belgium, Catholic University of Leuven -> Radboud University Nijmegen, Institute of Historical, Cultural and Literary Studies (NL), 12 months
During the development of a new scientific discipline or theory, views about the Greek and Roman antiquity often play a qualifying role. This research will search for methods to analyse the function of this 'classical tradition' in modern-day arguments.

How gerberas make different types of flowers
A.S. Rijpkema (f) 12-05-1979, Radboud University Nijmegen -> University of Helsinki, Applied Biology (FIN), 24 months
What is usually seen as the gerbera flower is actually the inflorescence, built up from many small flowers. The flowers at the edge of this inflorescence are different from those in the middle. This study shall examine how genes regulate the location where each type of flower is formed.

Overcoming T-cell dysfunction in tumor microenvironments
Dr. C.Y.J. Shu (f) 17-09-1980, UCLA -> NKI, Immunology (NL), 12 maanden
For T-cells to reject tumors they must maintain their effector function and overcome mechanisms of immunosuppression within the tumor microenvironment. With the goal to enhance immunotherapy, this research project aims to identify metabolic stress pathways which affect T-cell function.

Criminalized Minorities in the Underbelly of Sri Lanka's Democracy
Dr. M. de Silva (f) 10-04-1965, UvA -> Columbia University, Southern Asian Institute (VS), 24 maanden
This project examines the practices and popular representations of the Muslim criminal underworld in Sri Lanka as a vantage point from which to analyze the linkage between minorities, criminalization and state violence in post colonial democracy.

Tickling plastics with light
A.U. Stradomska, MSc (f) 09-03-1980, Kraków (Poland) -> RUG - Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials (NL), 12 maanden
Plastics hold great potential as electronic and optical materials, for instance for making solar cells. To help to improve their design, the researchers will investigate what happens in and between molecules of these materials after shining light on them.

From substrate to biomarker
M. Verdoes, MSc (m) 06-03-1980, Leiden University -> Stanford University, Department of Pathology (USA), 24 months
The diagnosis of cancer is important in the fight against it. Enzymes which are more active in cancerous tissue than in healthy tissue can serve as so-called biomarkers. The research shall focus on finding such enzymes and demonstrating whether these can be used as biomarkers.

Diversity as a game
Dr P.J. Vermeulen (m) 08-09-1977, Utrecht University -> Macquarie University, Comparative Ecology Group, Department of Biological Sciences (AUS), 24 months
Competition between plants can be seen as a type of game: As long as the performance of others can be kept low, the winner does not have to achieve a high score. This research shall investigate how more than one species can win in such a situation.

Do you prefer a hard or soft boiled egg?
Dr I.K. Voets (f) 28-05-1980, Wageningen University and Research Centre-> University of Fribourg, AM Institute (CH), 24 months
Protein mixtures play a key role in our lives, in the cells of our body and in our food. Structure and stability are vitally important. This research shall determine under which circumstances protein mixtures are stable or unstable, soft or hard, structured or unstructured.

Implicit learning of an artificial recursive language
M.H. de Vries, MA, MSc (f) 16-10-1979, University of Münster (D) -> Max Plank Institute for Psycholinguistics (NL), 12 months
You can combine words into endlessly long sentences. This characteristic (recursion) is typical for the human linguistic competence and is learnt implicitly. Linguists and cognitive scientists shall allow study subjects to learn an artificial grammar whilst positioned in the MRI scanner so that they can investigate this implicit learning process.

Cooperation between areas of the brain
R.M. (Roel) Willems (m) 29-02-1980, Radboud University Nijmegen, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour -> University of California, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, Department of Psychology (USA), 24 months
We have a pretty good understanding of what different areas of the brain do. However, in order to be able to understand information in the world around us, different regions in the brain need to bundle their 'expertise'. How this cooperation arises is still not clear. This research shall examine how two of the systems in the brain cooperate.

Dutch people as 'the Other'. Examining identity from a Hanseatic perspective in the late Middle Ages
Dr J. Wubs-Mrozewicz (f) 28-12-1976, University of Groningen -> Leiden University (NL), 12 months
Thinking in terms of 'them' and 'us' is an age-old phenomenon. This project analyses the images formed about the Dutch from the viewpoint of the Hanseatics in the late Middle Ages. Using Hanseatic sources, the role of identity and image in the relationships between these trading partners and rivals shall be investigated.

Development of medicines against malaria
A.W. van Zijl (m), University of Groningen -> ETH Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (CH), 24 months
The development of new medicines against malaria is an important objective in medicinal chemistry. The rational design of biologically active substances using molecular modelling of these substances in relevant enzymes can make a significant contribution to this development. IspE is a crucial enzyme for the malaria parasite and molecular modelling makes it possible to design inhibitors of this enzyme. The most promising compounds shall be synthesised and biologically tested. This shall hopefully lead to important new lead structures for malaria therapy. It might also lead to the validation of the rational design of medicines and to more knowledge about the interactions of molecules in enzymes in general, and in IspE in particular.

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