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During the Start of the Academic Year, Vice President Margot van der Starre presented the student awards.

The award for the Best Master's thesis was won by Bilyana Manolova. In her thesis, Bilyana examined the transition of the inhabitants of Bulgaria, Russia and Ukraine from socialism to capitalism.

The Vliegenthart Thesis Award went to Marien Raat for his thesis on Computation in Nested Closed Timelike Curves. Read more about Marien's thesis, in which he elaborates on the problem Turing once described: The halting problem.

The Student Award for Social Impact (formerly Special Administrative and Social Merit) went to Noa Duizend for establishing the “Share the Dove” initiative through which she seeks dialogue, connection and togetherness around the violence in Gaza and Israel.

Bilyana Manolova, winner Best Master's Thesis Award

In this thesis, Bilyana captivatingly explores and writes about how the traditionally socialist values of cultures do not always go hand in hand with the influence and capitalism from the West. She filters how we can learn from this transition that is slowly but surely taking place for the future. The jury greatly appreciates the quality of the work, the questions and the conclusions she draws from her research.

Read the jury's full laudation (pdf)

Noa Duizend, Winner Student Award Social Impact

At a time when violence in Gaza and Israel divides the world, Noa Thousand has shown that there is always room for hope, dialogue and connection. The ‘Deel de Duif’ initiative, co-founded by Noa, is a shining example of how, even in the most challenging of times, we can stay connected. 'Share the Dove' was born out of a need to respond to the horrors of conflict in and subsequent polarization with something positive and constructive. The goal of Noa and her colleagues was and is to call for dialogue, connection and togetherness.

Read the jury's full laudation (pdf)