Thomas Van Boeckel is new Branco Weiss Fellow
The Branco Weiss Fellowship – Society in Science has selected Dr. Thomas Van Boeckel as one of six new fellows. The programme offers young researchers the opportunity to pursue a research topic of their choosing for up to five years following completion of their PhD.
Thomas Van Boeckel develops maps of of antimicrobial resistance in animals. Specifically, he will pioneer the development of a novel type of platform to automate epidemiological data collection, and using geospatial methods he will map the geographic distribution of four common drug-resistant pathogens found in animals.
As a Branco Weiss fellow, Van Boeckel aims to help target intervention against antimicrobial resistance in the most affected regions, and create a baseline for the evaluation of future efforts to reduce antimicrobial resistance in food animals. He will also explore how economic incentives such as taxes could be deployed to optimally manage the antimicrobials currently used in veterinary medicine. Ultimately those initiatives aim to reduce the spread of antimicrobial resistance in animals, as well as their potential transmission to humans.
Further information
The Society in Science fellowship programme is spearheaded by ETH Zurich. Its endowment fund consists of several donations made by entrepreneur and ETH alumnus Branco Weiss, who passed away in 2010. The financial support is not bound to any specific country of origin or institution: candidates apply from all over the world and can pursue their research anywhere they like. The prerequisites are outstanding achievements, a compelling project at the intersection of science and society and a willingness to think beyond the boundaries of one's own discipline.
- For a complete list this year's Society in Science fellows and additional information, visit external pagesociety-in-science.org
- More information about external pageThomas Van Boeckel