Society in Science selects four new fellows

Zurich/Switzerland, July 26, 2011 - Society in Science - The Branco Weiss Fellowship, a program of ETH Zurich to support outstanding junior scientists, has appointed four new fellows. Daniela Andres, Josiane Broussard, Adrian Künzler and Saskia van Manen have received the prestigious award that can provide them with up to five years of complete academic freedom.

The Society in Science fellowship offers a generous personal grant of up to five years for researchers shortly after their PhD. Although the program belongs to the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, fellows can come from anywhere, and are able to conduct their research at any institution throughout the world. Applicants needed to demonstrate exceptional research skills and be able to extend their scientific work to include social and cultural questions and perspectives. The four new fellows are engaged in neuroscience, biomedical sciences, behavioral and institutional law and economics, and volcanology respectively.

The fellows:
Dr. Daniela Andres was born in Argentina. As a Branco Weiss fellow, Andres will investigate the way in which both the state of consciousness and the presence of Parkinson's disease affect the structure of the neural code in the basal ganglia. In addition she will consider the implications this has for Deep Brain Stimulation therapy.

Dr. Josiane Broussard was born in the USA. Dr. Josiane Broussard is working to examine the links between sleep restriction and/or disruption and the development of insulin resistance, increased circulating free fatty acids and diabetes.

Dr. Adrian Künzler was born in Switzerland and is currently at Yale Law School. Dr. Adrian Künzler is working to combine research at the law's intersection with social sciences and economics to document the law's role in promoting innovation and economic growth.

Dr. Saskia van Manen was born in the Netherlands. As a Branco Weiss fellow, van Manen will undertake research to quantify the impact of active volcanoes on their environment and local population, by tracking volcanic gases from source to sink. Target volcanoes for the research are in Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

For more information on Society in Science and the new fellow projects please visit www.society-in-science.org.

About Society in Science:
Society in Science - The Branco Weiss Fellowship was founded in 2002 to provide a platform for researchers in the natural sciences and engineering who are aiming to extend their scientific work to cover specific social and cultural questions and perspectives. The fellowship was initiated and is financed by the Swiss entrepreneur Dr. Branco Weiss. It is coordinated by ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich). Professor Peter Chen directs the fellowship program, and is supported by an advisory board consisting of prominent international scholars from a wide array of disciplines. Candidates must hold a PhD and provide evidence of outstanding scientific achievement to qualify for the prestigious grant.

Further information:
science communications GmbH
Eberhard Zangger
Sonnhaldenstrasse 14
CH-8032 Zurich
Switzerland
Tel.: +41 44 250 74 91
Fax: +41 44 250 74 99
http://www.society-in-science.org/
e.zangger@science-communications.ch

This release was published on openPR.