Indian-origin professor awarded ‘Dutch Nobel Prize’ for her research on just and sustainable world
London: Indian-origin professor Joyeeta Gupta is among the two scientists who have been named for the prestigious Spinoza Prize, also known as the Dutch Nobel Prize, it was announced on Wednesday. Gupta, the faculty professor of Sustainability and professor of Environment and Development in the Global South at the University of Amsterdam, received the prize for her outstanding, pioneering, and inspiring scientific work in which she focuses on a just and sustainable world, the Dutch Research Council said.
Gupta will be officially presented with the highest distinction in Dutch science on October 4 alongside Toby Kiers, another scientist chosen for the award, the council said in a statement. Toby Kiers is a professor of Mutualistic Interactions at the University of Amsterdam. Gupta will receive 1.5 million euros to spend on scientific research and activities related to knowledge utilisation, the statement said.
Sometimes called the ‘Dutch Nobel Prize’, the Spinoza prize is the highest award in Dutch academia and is awarded each year to researchers working in the Netherlands who “according to international standards belong to the absolutely best researchers worldwide”.
“The scientists who have received this award in the past represent the absolute best of Dutch academia, so I’m honoured to be considered alongside them,” Gupta said.
Gupta, who is also co-chair of the Earth Commission founded by Future Earth and supported by the Global Challenges Foundation, said she would work towards implementing her ideas on sharing ‘ecospace’ (environmental utilisation space) globally that aims to protect environmental conditions in an equitable manner worldwide and would be a fitting way to bring global environmental and developmental issues together.
Gupta’s research focused on how to solve issues arising from climate change through good governance, the statement said.
“At the core of her research is an attempt to unravel the connections between the climate crisis, global water challenges, possible solutions and justice. To this end, her work brings together various scientific disciplines, from international law and economics to political science, development studies and environmental studies,” the statement said.
Peter-Paul Verbeek, Rector Magnificus of the University of Amsterdam, said: “Justice for both people and the planet is the common thread in Joyeeta’s work. She is relentlessly committed to climate justice, always looking beyond the boundaries of disciplines, realising that this is the only way to approach the climate issue.” The Spinoza Prize has been awarded annually since 1995.