2025 Hans Werthén Scholars
Ten young researchers and students residing in Sweden have been awarded this year's scholarships from the Hans Werthén Foundation, for studies and research abroad. The scholarships are granted with the aim of giving young academics the opportunity to develop in other countries and return with new knowledge and experience that can benefit Sweden.
Hans Werthén was a result-oriented innovator, both as an engineer and business leader. The scholarships bearing his name aim to allow young academics to develop in other countries and return with new knowledge and experience that can be used in industry, business, or academia in Sweden.
Since the Hans Werthén Foundation was established in 1990, a total of 521 scholarships have been awarded, amounting to approximately 64 million kronor.
This year's scholarships amount to a total of SEK 3,168,441 (SEK 150,000–400,000/scholarship holder) and is intended to help finance one year of scientific work at the postdoctoral or doctoral level, MBA or LL.M. studies in a qualified international environment.
2025 Scholars
(Photo: Ísak Guðnason)
Adrian Filipovic
Admitted to LL.M program at Columbia Law School, USA.
"Through studies at a university in the Untied States, my hope is to gain a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of American capital markets law and corporate governance – of how different companies and investors interact and influence one another, and how capital markets impact the broader economy."
Matteo Gamba
Invited as a Post Doc to Brown University, USA.
"The main goal of my visit to Brown is to broaden the scope of my research, to develop a principled framework for characterizing deep networks' robustness in practical settings, expanding my work's impact and applicability."
Freija Haas
Admitted to LL.M program at Harvard Law School, USA.
"I would like to enhance my legal skills by gaining an empirical comparative perspective on energy policy. I believe that Harvard Law School will be the ideal place for me to do this because of its established reputation for focusing on clinical courses as a central part of the program. This is an essential factor for me as I want to put my skills into practice in the development of Swedish energy policy."
Souzan Hammadi
Invited as a Post Doc to McMaster University, Canada.
"Through my collaboration with McMaster University, I will learn skills that will be of great value to materials research in Sweden, where I intend to establish myself after my stay abroad. In my vision for the future, I see that a scholarship from the Hans Werthén Foundation will be the start of my research career in model development and computational chemistry."
Klara Jonsson
Admitted to LL.M program at Duke University, USA.
"During my LLM studies, I plan to deepen my knowledge of intellectual property rights in general. By returning to Sweden with in-depth knowledge of strategic solutions for innovators, I can contribute to Sweden continuing in the same direction."
Anh Tung Nguyen
Invited as a PhD student to New York University, USA.
"This will provide me with access to world-class expertise and a highly interdisciplinary research environment, allowing me to incorporate cognitive security principles into my methodologies. NYU is a global leader in cybersecurity research, with a strong focus on risk management, adversarial resilience, and privacy-preserving security measures. Working with Professor Zhu's team will allow me to refine and extend my research to address security challenges in Human-Cyber-Physical Systems."
Maria Samara
Invited as a PhD student to i3S (Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde), Portugal.
"By joining i3S, I will gain access to state-of-the-art facilities and specialized knowledge in lipid-based nanocarriers, which will refine my approach to designing nanomedicine solutions with direct clinical applications. Moreover, this collaboration will foster stronger ties between Stockholm University and leading global experts, enhancing international cooperation in biomedical research."
Jesper Schwarz
Invited as a Post Doc to the University of Basel, Switzerland.
"The knowledge and techniques in time-resolved spectroscopy that I will bring with me from the postdoc period will be able to be used to study other phenomena with Swedish industrial relevance, such as artificial photosynthesis to produce fuels such as hydrogen and methanol with solar energy. Areas where green technology could make Swedish industry a world front-runner, and where my research would contribute to continued progress at the highest level."
Shashishekar Thumbs Sampathu
Admitted to MBA program at INSEAD, France.
"Long-term, I want to play a role in strengthening Sweden's AI and robotics ecosystem by creating a hub for tech startups. I also want to mentor and support upcoming entrepreneurs in these fields, helping them navigate challenges and build impactful businesses."
Elmira Zohrevandi
Invited as a Post Doc to the Technical University of Delft, the Netherlands.
"My goal is to develop a new research direction that I term "ecological visual analytics interface design" – an approach to integrate the theoretical foundations of EID with novel visual analytics techniques, which can yield more effective interfaces."
See more pictures from the award ceremony at IVA on 16 June.
The scholars are appointed by a board consisting of Marcus Wallenberg (chair), Marianne Feledy Werthén, Sara Mazur, Hans Stråberg, Carl-Henric Svanberg, Astrid Söderbergh Widding, Victoria Van Camp , and deputy Magnus Breidne (secretary general).
