Congratulations to OzGrav’s Dr Iris de Ruiter, who has been awarded a prestigious 2026 Gruber Foundation Fellowship. 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 […]
Congratulations to OzGrav’s Dr Iris de Ruiter, who has been awarded a prestigious 2026 Gruber Foundation Fellowship.
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.
The 2026 fellowship recipients also include Ignas Juodžbalis from University of Cambridge and Mor Rozner from the Institute for Advanced Study and University of Cambridge.
The 2026 TGF 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.” said Hyesung Kang.
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.