The NWO Spinoza Prize is the highest award in Dutch academia. It honours researchers who, by international standards, rank among the very best in the world. Recipients of the NWO Spinoza Prize conduct outstanding and groundbreaking research with a broad impact.
From NWO's press release:
Roelofs is regarded as a pioneer within a relatively new field that combines psychology, brain research and physiology and her work unravels the neurological processes that are at the root of people’s stress responses. The research conducted by the professor at Radboud University has led to a completely new way of understanding how people make decisions under stress, how they regulate emotions and how they recover from stressful experiences. For instance, Roelofs demonstrated that a ‘freeze’ response is, in fact, an active stress response that serves a specific function. It helps to rapidly process information and prepare for a decision: fight, flight or wait. Insights from her research aid to detect mental problems in children at an early stage and also provide knowledge and practical applications for police officers. The committee has awarded her the Spinoza Prize because Roelofs has helped to shape a new research field while also demonstrating how fundamental science can contribute to society’s mental resilience.
Karin Roelofs: ‘This prestigious prize highlights the importance of interdisciplinary cognitive neuroscience. It will allow us to significantly advance our research on anxiety problems, stress and stress behaviour. Innovations such as ultrasound neuromodulation and VR biofeedback can make a real difference – not only for people with anxiety symptoms but also for people in high-risk professions, such as police officers.’
Roelofs emphasises that the recognition is not just a personal achievement: ‘I see it as a tribute to the entire team; we truly practise team science. We have everything we need right here. The Donders Institute is a genuinely interdisciplinary institute with world-class facilities. Thanks to these facilities, and to our fantastic technical support team, we can achieve virtually anything. This combination is what makes us unique.’
According to Roelofs, it is precisely this combination of expertise - ranging from fundamental neuroscience to clinical applications and technological innovation - that is essential for groundbreaking research.