Two new Wallenberg Academy Fellows to Stockholm University

The Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation annually awards Wallenberg Academy Fellows to outstanding young researchers who tackle innovative research questions. A total of 288 researchers have been appointed as Wallenberg Academy Fellows.In total, with this year's round, the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation has so far allocated just over SEK 3.2 billion to the program. The grant covers research in natural sciences, medicine, technology and the humanities as well as social sciences. After the end of the first period, it is possible to apply for a further five years of funding. Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences review the applications and help with the selection. The Academy also runs the mentoring program in which the selected researchers can participate.

“The program is long-term and very attractive. One measure of this is that very few researchers have left the program to pursue a career outside Sweden. The aim was precisely to retain talented Swedish researchers in Sweden and to attract foreign talent, as well as allowing them the space they need to tackle difficult research questions in the long term,” says Peter Wallenberg Jr, chair, Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation.

In this year's round, 27 outstanding young researchers are being awarded Wallenberg Academy Fellows. Two of them are currently or will be active at Stockholm University. These are James Nguyen at the Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, and Elisabeth Gruber, who is currently at the University of Innsbruck in Austria.

James Nguyen: Will investigate a philosophical basis for interdisciplinarity

According to Wallenberg Academy Fellow James Nguyen, research not only aims to produce new knowledge, but also to understand how the world is connected. He will now explore the potential for creating a framework for interdisciplinary research, so researchers from different disciplines can more easily collaborate and find solutions for complex societal problems.

Researchers dive deeply into their own field of research. This is often necessary, but narrow specialization can also undermine the ability to communicate with researchers from other disciplines. Dr James Nguyen at Stockholm University will explore a philosophical hypothesis that he hopes will bridge the gap between different disciplines.

His goal is to identify what unites researchers, rather than what divides them. The essence of his argument is that all researchers – whether natural scientists, social scientists or humanists – are searching for understanding rather than solely knowledge. James Nguyen also believes that researchers in all fields develop representations (theories, models, paradigms, etc.) in order to understand (rather than simply know) the world. There are differences, but Nguyen’s assumption is that they share some basic characteristics.

He will now investigate whether his hypothesis is correct. If he can verify it, he will explore ways of uniting representations that originate in different disciplines. The aim is to find a philosophical basis for interdisciplinary projects, allowing researchers to collaborate on difficult problems, such as climate change, migration or the management of pandemics.

Elisabeth Gruber: Will recreate the interstellar chemistry in the laboratory

A rich and complex chemistry exists in the vast space between the stars – the interstellar medium. Wallenberg Academy Fellow Elisabeth Gruber will now mimic the extreme conditions of space to map cosmic chemistry. The goal is to understand which processes drive this chemistry, which molecules are formed, and to gain insights into the chemical pathways that shape the universe and the origins of life.

The interstellar medium is made up of roughly 99 percent gas and the rest is dust. Most of it is found in clouds or the nebulae that float between the stars. The gas is extremely cold and thin; it is made up of individual atoms and molecules which – when exposed to light and cosmic rays – can capture or lose electrons, transforming them into ions.

Atoms, molecules and ions interact with each other and form new molecules in the interstellar medium. Some are simple, such as hydrogen and carbon monoxide, while others become surprisingly complex and resemble the building blocks of life.

Dr Elisabeth Gruber at the University of Innsbruck, Austria, will now recreate space’s extreme chemistry in a laboratory setting. She will insert atoms and molecules in nanodroplets made from helium atoms with extraordinary properties. In these ultracold droplets, atoms, molecules and ions can combine into larger complexes. Elisabeth Gruber will develop new experimental methods to study these species to better understand the chemistry of the universe and how it may provide a foundation for emerging planetary life. As a Wallenberg Academy Fellow, she will work at Stockholm University.

More information on Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation web