Physics Professor Wins €50,000 Award to Champion Neurodiversity in Academia
Eindhoven, Friday, 13 March 2026.
Liesbeth Janssen from TU Eindhoven has been awarded the prestigious NWO Athena Award, recognizing exceptional female scientists who advance diversity in STEM fields. Rather than using the €50,000 prize for traditional research, Janssen plans to invest the entire sum in promoting neurodiversity awareness within academic and research communities, highlighting an innovative approach to using scientific recognition for systemic change.
Breaking Glass Phase Mysteries While Building Inclusive Teams
Janssen’s recognition comes as she leads groundbreaking research into one of physics’ most enduring puzzles: the glass phase transition. As an associate professor in TU Eindhoven’s Department of Applied Physics, she works with the Non-Equilibrium Soft Matter group to understand how liquids transform into glass, a unique solid form that lacks regular crystalline structure [1]. This fundamental research carries significant commercial potential, with applications ranging from faster computer chips and recyclable plastics to improved understanding of asthma and cancer metastasis [1]. “Fundamental research is the basis of all innovation,” Janssen explained, emphasizing her commitment to connecting theoretical work with practical applications [1]. Her research philosophy reflects a broader approach to scientific excellence that values both intellectual rigor and real-world impact.
The Athena Award Legacy and Recent Winners
The NWO Athena Award represents a prestigious recognition within Dutch scientific circles, previously awarded to accomplished researchers who demonstrate both scientific excellence and leadership in promoting diversity [1]. Recent winners include Dr. Marielos Peña-Carlos from Wageningen University, who received the 2025 Athena Award for her outstanding research connecting indigenous and scientific ecological knowledge [2]. The award’s €50,000 prize money provides recipients with significant resources to advance their chosen initiatives beyond traditional research boundaries [1]. Janssen drew inspiration from previous TU Eindhoven winners, including Adriana Creatore in 2021 and Daniela Kraft in 2019, both of whom established strong precedents for using scientific recognition to drive institutional change [1]. The award announcement comes during a period of heightened focus on diversity in STEM fields, as highlighted by recent celebrations of International Women of Colour Day on March 1, 2026 [2].
Neurodiversity as Scientific Infrastructure
Rather than directing her prize money toward traditional research equipment or personnel, Janssen has committed the entire €50,000 to studying and promoting neurodiversity in workplace and educational settings [1]. Her approach treats diversity as essential scientific infrastructure, stating: “The need for diversity is as obvious to me as the need for a laptop or a desk - it is simply a requisite to get good work done” [1]. This perspective reflects her broader management philosophy within her research group, where she prioritizes mental well-being and manageable workloads while allowing flexible working arrangements [1]. Janssen herself exemplifies this flexibility, working from her home in Utrecht several days per week while traveling to the Eindhoven campus as needed [1]. Her team has demonstrated the effectiveness of this approach, with one PhD student working abroad for nearly two years while successfully completing his doctorate with honors [1].
Scientific Risk-Taking and Future Applications
Janssen’s career trajectory illustrates the value of calculated scientific risk-taking, particularly her decision twelve years ago to pursue glass transition theory research as a postdoc in New York despite her supervisor’s advice against it [1]. APSE dean Kees Storm, who nominated Janssen for the award, characterized her as having “more guts than many scientists,” highlighting her willingness to tackle challenging problems [1]. This approach extends to her current multi-year research project, which she describes as “constantly changing” due to scientific innovations and new methods such as machine learning [1]. The research timeline remains necessarily flexible given the unpredictable nature of fundamental discovery, though Janssen maintains that “the resources are too scarce to see that as a license to investigate something arbitrarily” [1]. Her philosophy balances intellectual curiosity with practical responsibility, ensuring that her team can articulate the broader purpose behind their dedicated research efforts [1].