Rubicon grant for pain researcher Aleksandrina Skvortsova
Aleksandrina Skvortsova has been awarded a Rubicon grant by the NWO. She will use it to conduct research at McGill University in Canada into whether memories and stress influence how we experience pain.
The Rubicon grants are awarded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) to give promising young researchers the opportunity to gain international research experience. For many researchers, experience abroad is an important step in their careers. The grant is awarded to researchers who have recently received their PhDs and enables them to work at a top institution abroad for between 12 and 24 months.
Past and present pain
Eighteen grants were awarded in this round; Aleksandrina Skvortsova was the only researcher from Leiden University. Skvortsova currently works at the department of Health, Medical and Neuropsychology at the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences. She will spend 24 months at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Research has shown that previous experiences influence our pain sensitivity. Skvortsova will research the role of stress in the relationship between past and present pain, and whether the pain experience can be reduced by reducing stress.
Corona measures
The corona crisis has also affected the Rubicon grants. NWO is adhering to the measures that the Dutch government has taken to tackle coronavirus, which means that the researchers who have received a Rubicon grant in this round will only start their research once the situation for them is safe.