Rubicon grants for research on fire and the first light
Two talented academics from Leiden who recently obtained their PhD have been awarded a Rubicon grant by the Dutch Research Council (NWO). The grant enables them to gain experience at a knowledge institute abroad.
The following two research projects have been awarded a Rubicon grant:
Learning cosmic dawn: understanding the epoch of first light
Timo Kist, Leiden Observatory (Faculty of Science) -> United Kingdom -> University of Cambridge -> 24 months
One billion years after the Big Bang, light from the then-emerging first galaxies and stars started illuminating our Universe. Quasars – bright lighthouses billions of light-years away and powered by supermassive black holes – observed with the newest telescopes and analysed with cutting-edge AI techniques can provide unprecedented insights into this enigmatic epoch of first light.
Shaping Fire: an ecological perspective on the role of fire in human evolution
Femke Reidsma, Faculty of Archaeology -> United States -> Harvard -> 24 months
Fire has been central to the story of human evolution. This project investigates how our relationship with fire developed across three key stages, shaped by interaction with natural fires and changing environments. By combining archaeological evidence with palaeoecological techniques, it offers a novel, interdisciplinary approach to understanding how fire helped shape who we are today.
In this round, 24 academics from Dutch institutions have been awarded a Rubicon grant. Per year, the NWO and ZonMw fund around 60 young researchers (for a total sum of around 9 million euros, divided among three rounds). The awards above were made in the second funding round from 2025.