New In Situ NMR Method Earns Vidi Support
The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) has announced the recipients of its prestigious Vidi grants for the 2024 round, awarding up to €850,000 to 149 outstanding scientists. This funding enables experienced researchers, those several years beyond their PhD, to launch their own innovative research programmes and build research teams over the next five years.
The Vidi grant is part of the NWO Talent Programme, alongside the Veni and Vici grants, and is designed to support the development of novel scientific directions by accomplished investigators. In this round, 778 proposals were submitted, with 149 projects selected.
One of this year’s honorees is Evan Zhao from Radboud University’s Faculty of Science, who will pioneer a new in situ NMR technique to study lithium-mediated ammonia synthesis. His project aims to develop an innovative MRI-like tool that reveals how molecules and materials transform during ammonia production - a process vital for global food supply but currently responsible for significant carbon emissions. By visualizing these transformations, the research aspires to contribute to the design of efficient, zero-carbon methods for ammonia synthesis, responding to the urgent need for greener technologies in the face of climate change.