Laureates Heineken Prizes 2008 announced

Amsterdam, 24 April 2008 - The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences has awarded this year's Heineken Prizes to five internationally renowned scientists and one highly talented Dutch visual artist.

 

The laureates receive the Heineken Prizes for their great merits to science, Dutch art and society. 

 

Professor Jack W. Szostak (1952), United States, is being awarded the Dr H.P. Heineken Prize for Biochemistry and Biophysics 2008 for
'his highly original insights into the fundamental processes of life'.

Professor Sir Richard Peto (1943), United Kingdom, is being awarded the Dr A.H. Heineken Prize for Medicine 2008 for
'his pioneering work in the field of clinical epidemiology'.

Professor Bert Brunekreef (1953), The Netherlands, is being awarded the Dr A.H. Heineken Prize for Environmental Sciences 2008 for
'his environmental epidemiological research into air pollution and health'.

Professor Jonathan I. Israel (1946), United States, is being awarded the Dr A.H. Heineken Prize for History 2008 for
'his vitally new perspective on the history of the Enlightenment'.

Professor Stanislas Dehaene (1965), France, is being awarded the Dr A.H. Heineken Prize for Cognitive Science 2008 for
'his research into the higher cognitive processes, in particular numerical cognition'.

Barbara Visser (1966), The Netherlands, is being awarded the Dr A.H. Heineken Prize for Art 2008 for
'her photographic and video work, notable for its wide-ranging form and content and consistently distinct signature'.

The prizes will be presented on Thursday, 2 October 2008 in a special session of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences at the Beurs van Berlage Building in Amsterdam.

The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences selects the winners of the scientific Heineken Prizes on the basis of nominations received from other scientists or from learned institutions throughout the world. An independent jury selects the winner of the Dr A.H. Heineken Prize for Art.

The scientific Heineken Prizes consist of a trophy and USD 150,000 each. The Dr. A.H. Heineken Prize for Art includes a trophy and a cash gift of EUR 50,000. The Heineken Prizes are financed by the Dr. H.P. Heineken Foundation and the Alfred Heineken Funds Foundation.