Alumnus Artificial Intelligence Sindy Löwe is the winner of the UvA Thesis Prize 2020. In her thesis she describes an original and innovative concept within Artificial Intelligence, which she conceived and developed independently.
The faculty prizes were won by Dieuwke Zwier (Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences), Amira Francesca Freeman (Faculty of Humanities), Thomas Engelsma (Faculty of Medicine), Benjamin Hattemer (Faculty of Economics and Business Administration), Eva Kuijpers (Faculty of Dentistry) and Philipp Günther (Faculty of Law).
The winners received the prizes on Monday 5 October during an online meeting, presented by writer and programme maker Abdelkader Benali. Out of the 120 entries for the UvA Thesis Award, seven were nominated, one for each faculty. Usually, the thesis prize is awarded during the annual University Day. Due to the corona measures, this event could not take place in April 2020. As a result, the presentation of the thesis prize was postponed to the autumn.
The winning thesis
In her winning thesis Sindy Löwe describes an original and innovative concept within Artificial Intelligence, which she conceived and developed independently. It concerns a new algorithm for training neuronal networks and gives a better explanation for and good insight in the way cerebral neuronal networks learn.
The jury believes that Löwe shows the ability to develop a groundbreaking and innovative idea at a high academic level in a scientifically sound manner.
The faculty winners
Dieuwke Zwier wrote a thesis entitled Fatherhood and men's working hours: the household and organization context. The jury qualifies the subject as socially and politically relevant. The way available data from public databases is used and combined in the research is inventive, innovative and very convincing.
Amira Francesca Freeman wrote a thesis entitled Winning Battles versus Winning the War: a Multi-Level Analysis of Rescuing during the Rwandan Genocide. The jury believes that this is a comprehensive and highly structured data collection and analysis with a relevant question. The thesis is written in a very nuanced way, with sufficient distance.
Thomas Engelsma wrote a thesis entitled Identifying key factors of decision-making for older adults with cognitive impairment and their family caregivers regarding transitions in care to inform the development of a discrete choice experiment. The jury sees the thesis as an excellent work with practical indications for an ageing population.
Benjamin Hattemer wrote a thesis entitled Climate Change and the European Economy: Evidence of the Effect of Temperature Shocks on European Output. The jury qualifies the thesis as very competently executed and well written research on a socially relevant theme.
Eva Kuijpers wrote a thesis entitled Associations between the oral microbiome and blood pressure in obese elderly diabetes type 2 patients. The jury believes that the thesis addresses an important subject, with a clear and original question, thorough scientific analysis and convincing research design.
Philipp Günther wrote a thesis entitled Groupthink Bias in International Adjudication. According to the jury, the thesis is a convincing analysis of group thinking and the bias it can cause in decision making in international tribunals and courtrooms. The thesis excels in an understandable discussion and shows self-reflection.
The jury report and the public summaries of the theses of all winners can be requested via [email protected].
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