University of Amsterdam professor gets NWO Vici grants

Disa Sauter, associate professor of Social Psychology, has received a Vici grant from the Dutch Research Council (NWO). With the grant she will research non-verbal vocalizations such as laughing, shouting and sighing. The grant application of Ruth Mugge, professor at the Amsterdam Business School and TU Delft, was also honoured with a Vici.

Disa Sauter
Sauter’s research project is titled ‘Understanding nonverbal vocalizations: A computational ethology approach (VOCAL)’. People often make noises like laughing, screaming and sighing. In this project, Sauter and her team will establish when, how and why we make such sounds. They will analyse video and audio recordings made in everyday life by people from different cultures, as well as the vocalisations of deaf individuals and babies. The results will be useful for understanding voice pathologies in clinical populations, as well as shining a light on common everyday behaviours.

Mugge will investigate what design interventions can slow down the premature obsolescence of consumer electronics, so consumers will be motivated to use their products for a longer period of time. Her project is titled ‘Slowing down premature obsolescence: Keeping the value of consumer electronics high by design’. Mugge submitted her grant application as professor at TU Delft; one of Mugge’s doctoral students will be placed within the ABS.

About the Vici
A total of 34 Vici grants were awarded by NWO in this round. The grants are worth up to €1.5 million per project. With this the laureates are able to develop an innovative line of research and set up their own research group for five years. Vici is one of the largest scientific grants for individuals in the Netherlands and targets advanced researchers.