The professor of Paediatrics and Epidemiology at Erasmus MC will, over the next five years, have the opportunity, time and budget to focus on creating social impact. Jaddoe is already doing so through the Generation R programme, in which he and fellow researchers have been following ten thousand Rotterdam residents from birth. With this new appointment, Jaddoe hopes to ensure that the results of this research ‘find their way even more deeply into society’. Eveline Crone, Moniek Buijzen, Frank van Oort and Jun Borras were previously appointed as Erasmus Professors.
Groundbreaking contribution
In her Dies speech, rector magnificus Jantine Schuit called for curiosity towards one another, as ‘curiosity connects and knowledge transforms’. “It is time that we start using language that connects rather than alienates. That means listening more carefully to the people in the city. Let them tell their stories, share their ideas”, she told the audience in the Aula.
Besides Jaddoe, British professor Patrick Bolton was also invited on stage during the Dies. He received an honorary doctorate from the Rotterdam School of Management, presented by RSM professor Dirk Schoenmaker.
The professor of Finance and Economics at Imperial College London received this honorary title for his ‘groundbreaking contributions in the fields of contract theory, corporate finance and industrial organisation’. In recent years, Bolton has focused on climate finance, exploring how companies can also act responsibly.
Awards
The university also presented three awards to staff members or students who had distinguished themselves over the past year. The Lambert Student Excellence Award went to Linda Al-Hassany, who graduated cum laude at Erasmus MC and subsequently obtained her PhD cum laude with research on the relationship between migraine and cardiovascular diseases, with, according to the jury, a special focus on the role of ethnic minorities in that research. “Linda works hard, has a broad vision, a great intellect and a warm personality”, the jury report stated. The award includes a prize of 4,000 euros.
Schuit presented the 2025 Research Prize, worth 7,000 euros, to Vivian Visser from the Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences. Visser researches how government communication can be designed in such a way that social inequality is reduced. For instance, she discovered that some citizens feel insecure due to the ‘verbal nature’ of civic participation, such as during oral debates. As a result, some municipalities are now experimenting with other, less language-dependent forms of participation.
The final award of the afternoon, the FAME Athena Award for individuals committed to gender equality, was presented by Executive Board vice-chair Ellen van Schoten to Wendy Harcourt of the International Institute for Social Studies. According to Van Schoten, Harcourt is a loyal ally for women who are still at the beginning of their academic careers. Harcourt herself cited colleagues from the Global South as her role models and called for ‘solidarity in these turbulent times’.
