Ilse Aben, senior scientist at SRON and endowed professor at VU Amsterdam, has received the 2025 NWO Stevin Prize for her instrumental contributions to the development of satellite-borne instruments that detect greenhouse gas emissions. As co‑principal investigator of the Tropomi SWIR instrument on ESA’s Sentinel‑5P mission, she’s enabled daily, city-scale observations of methane. Aben’s work is hailed as a “unique and indispensable contribution to the fight against climate change,” according to the NWO announcement.
The Stevin Prize awards 1.5 million euros to researchers who translate academic discovery into societal impact. Three more researchers received NWO’s highest honors this year: Thijn Brummelkamp (Spinoza Prize, oncology), Judith Pollmann (Spinoza Prize, history) and Ingrid Robeyns (Stevin Prize, economics). The award ceremony is held on 14 October.
