Aurélie Carlier receives Athena Award

Aurélie Carlier (MERLN) receives an Athena Award from the Dutch Research Council (NWO). This award is for exceptional female researchers who are role models through their successful scientific careers. Each year, a maximum of two researchers win the Athena Award, each receiving €50,000 in prize money for their research.

Dr Aurélie Carlier conducts research in the field of computational biology within MERLN at the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences. The NWO committee states that Aurélie is a young and dynamic role model and that her efforts in diversity and inclusion initiatives go above and beyond. She has obtained an impressive number of grants and produced numerous scientific publications.

In addition, Aurélie is committed to creating an open and inclusive environment. For example, she founded the Female Empowerment Maastricht (FEM) network, which has contributed to more gender-equitable policy measures. She also initiated and organised the very first 'Women in Biomechanics' session at the European Society of Biomechanics conference in 2022, which is now a recurring event.

The NWO committee is convinced that Aurélie will continue to have a lasting influence on policy and science and that she will only continue to grow as a role model.