Recently, several prestigious prizes and grants have been awarded to our AI&I members. Learn more about these accomplished individuals and their projects in the article below!
KNAW Early Career Award – Dr. Birnie
Dr. Emma Birnie, postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Infection and Molecular Medicine (CIMM) and infectious disease specialist in training, has been selected as one of this year’s twelve recipients of the KNAW Early Career Award. She received the award for her groundbreaking research on tropical infectious diseases.
The award, presented by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), celebrates young researchers who have made significant and innovative contributions to science early in their careers. Each laureate receives €15,000 in research funding and a unique artwork created by artist Laura Klinkenberg. The 2025 winners represent a wide range of disciplines, from migration law and archaeology to medical sciences and mathematics. The award ceremony took place on 18 November 2025.
Shining light on a ‘hidden’ disease
Dr. Birnie’s research focuses on melioidosis, an often fatal tropical infectious disease that is far more widespread than current official data indicate. Her findings help reveal the global scale of this neglected disease and highlight the urgent need for improved surveillance and control, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa.
In addition to her scientific work, Dr. Birnie engages the public through documentary projects and awareness campaigns, extending the impact of her research beyond the academic world.
About the KNAW Early Career Award
The KNAW Early Career Award recognizes outstanding young scientists who not only excel in innovative and original research but also serve as inspirers, mentors, and educators within their fields.
Learn more about dr. Emma Birnie’s work:
Five VENI-grants for Amsterdam institute for Infection and Immunity researchers (August 2023)
Corona drug for people with immune disorders elicits rapid resistance (August 2022)
EULAR Research Methods Grant – Dr. Houtman
Dr. Miranda Houtman, member of the Amsterdam Institute for Immunology and Infectious diseases (AI&I), has been awarded a €50,000 EULAR Research Methods Grant from the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR). This grant supports the development of new tools, approaches and protocols that increase quality, innovation and technology development in rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases research.
The project: Towards personalized medicine in autoimmune diseases
Her project focuses on developing and applying innovative single-cell sequencing methods to precisely measure how different HLA class II alleles are expressed across various cell types in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. This methodological framework aims to uncover how HLA class II alleles contribute to rheumatoid arthritis risk and will pave the way toward a more personalized and effective approach to disease treatment.
Photography: Joyce van Doorn
About the EULAR Research Methods Grant
The EULAR Research Methods Grant supports researchers in developing innovative methodologies that advance rheumatic and musculoskeletal disease research. The program fosters improvements in research design and reproducibility, encourages interdisciplinary collaboration, and promotes the development of sustainable, high-impact methods that strengthen the scientific foundations of rheumatology research.