Each year, The Gruber Foundation (TGF), in collaboration with the International Astronomical Union (IAU), funds a US$ 75,000 fellowship programme for promising early-career astronomers. As in recent years, the Selection Committee has decided to award this year’s fellowship jointly to three outstanding candidates, each receiving US$ 25,000.
Iris de Ruiter is a Dutch astronomer who received her PhD from the University of Amsterdam in 2024. Since November 2024, she has been a postdoctoral researcher with OzGrav at The University of Sydney, Australia. Her research focuses on white dwarf binaries and long-period radio transients. Her project aims to establish and characterize this newly identified class of sources through systematic surveys and multi-wavelength observations, with the goal of uncovering their emission mechanisms and implications for stellar magnetism and compact binary evolution. She plans to use the grant to support research visits, conference participation, and organising a specialist workshop.
Ignas Juodžbalis is an astronomer from Lithuania who will receive his PhD in July 2026 from the University of Cambridge. In October 2026, he will join the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Garching, Germany, as a postdoctoral researcher. His research investigates the origin and growth of supermassive black holes and their connection to host galaxies. Using JWST and complementary datasets, his project will explore active galactic nuclei in the early universe and test scaling relations across cosmic time, providing new constraints on black hole formation and feedback processes. He plans to use the grant for computational resources, conference travel, and conference organisation.
Mor Rozner is an Israeli astronomer who received her PhD from the Israel Institute of Technology in 2024. In September 2024, she joined the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, USA, and the University of Cambridge, UK, as a postdoctoral researcher. Her research explores the dynamics of gas-rich environments, including AGN discs and protoplanetary discs. Her project develops analytical and numerical frameworks to study gas-driven binary formation and evolution, with implications for gravitational-wave sources such as those detected by LIGO. She plans to use the grant for IT equipment, research travel, and conference organisation.
The 2026 The Gruber Foundation Fellowships Selection Committee, consisting of IAU Vice-Presidents Monica Rubio, Gražina Tautvaišienė, and Hyesung Kang (Chair), would like to emphasize the exceptional quality of all applicants.
“The committee was deeply impressed by the quality, originality, and breadth of this year’s applications. The proposals reflect a wide range of topics in modern astrophysics, marked by strong scientific ambition and creativity. The selection process was highly competitive, and we warmly congratulate the awardees while also expressing our sincere appreciation to all applicants for their excellent work.”
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Hyesung Kang
Chair, The Gruber Foundation Fellowships Selection Committee |
The next call for TGF Fellowship applications is expected to open in September 2026, with a submission deadline of 22 March 2027. Further information on eligibility and application procedures will be available on the IAU website.