July 2026
Examining spatiality in white women’s Afrikaans writing at the end of apartheid
Project
Book on Statistical Demography
During the last decade, significant advances have been made in the area of statistical demography. In particular, new methodologies have been developed for probabilistic population projections.
Publication
Computer experimentation reveals mechanisms for signaling and coupled transport that trade efficiency for robust growth
Maeda, K., Kurata, H., Javelle, A., Westerhoff, H. v., & Boogerd, F. C. 2026. Computer experimentation reveals mechanisms for signaling and coupled transport that trade efficiency for robust growth. Npj Systems Biology and Applications.
Publication
Gemination, degemination, and hiatus in Principense Portuguese
Balduino, A., & Agostinho, A. L. (2026). Gemination, degemination, and hiatus in Principense Portuguese. Journal of Portuguese Linguistics, 25(1)
Project
Towards Robust Social-Ecological States: Comparative Lessons from Belgium, Switzerland and South Africa
How can institutions remain just, legitimate, and protective in an ecologically finite world?
Project
Universalism and Humanism in the Kurdish and Tamil Women’s Freedom Movements
In the 21st century, concepts of humanity and universalism came under theoretical and political pressure.
Publication
Gentrification in African cities: a critical review
Asante, L. A., Juvenile Ehwi, R., Amoah, M., & Bonsu, B. A. 2026. Gentrification in African cities: a critical review. City, 1–22
Project
Inspirational Fiction: Old Testament Exegesis with an Evangelical Agenda
The present project investigates the intersection between Inspirational Fiction and the Bible. Inspiration Fiction offers theology in an easily accessible and attractively packaged form.
Project
Towards an Aegean Vision: exploring regional cultural identities beyond ethnonational divides
How are regional cultures formed beyond the confines of ethnonational borders? To what extent do identity-building processes depend on the shared environments and historical legacies within a geographical area?
Project
Projection of Socioeconomic and Forced Migration for Probabilistic Population Projections
During the STIAS fellowship, I propose to work on issues that are vital for probabilistic population projections for all countries, notably the projection of international migration by age and sex, and the projection of refugee and other forced migration flows.
Project
Politics of the Passport: History, Value, Object
In mapping the now indispensable document for international travel—the passport— the project excavates its complex modern manifestations. Its import may appear to be intuitive, but betrays a multifaceted undergirding that demands unpacking, meaningful articulation and theorising.
Podcast
July 2026
STIAS Conversations Episode 4 - Race, Genomics and the Cultural Politics of Bioethics
Project
Mama Africa: Miriam Makeba, the Anti-Apartheid Movement and Transnational Solidarity
This project, the first book-length scholarly biography of legendary South African performer and political activist Miriam Makeba, chronicles Makeba’s life, her musical career, and her crucial role in the international anti-apartheid and Black Power movements.
Project
Could sex of babies at birth be linked to female wage employment?
My research at STIAS uses a publicly available household data to explore the association between sex at birth and a mother’s wage employment status.
Publication
The end of endogamy? Two centuries of kin marriage in The Netherlands (1812-2021)
Bras, H., & de Bel, V. 2026. The end of endogamy? Two centuries of kin marriage in The Netherlands (1812-2021). Quaderni Storici, 115–134.
Project
Hope in times of polycrisis: the role of local African initiatives in driving a just and sustainable future
The unprecedented impact and pace of current environmental change calls for visions that counteract the dominant dystopian discourse and provide realistic examples of transformative changes that contribute to a better world, such as the already growing number of new initiatives, projects, practices…
Project
Discovering Gravitationally Lensed Supernovae with Machine Learning in the LSST Era
The next generation of wide-field sky surveys will transform time-domain astrophysics.
Publication
New African health histories: (e)merging lines
Bras, H. 2026. New African health histories: (e)merging lines. In M. H. D. van Leeuwen (Ed.), Research Handbook on Historical Sociology (pp. 420–447). Edward Elgar Publishing.
Project
Boosting AI-for-health in Africa and beyond: Filling the Health Technology Assessment gap
The use of Ar+ficial Intelligence (AI) for health is prolifera+ng globally at an incredible rate.
Project
The Best Electoral system for South Africa?
South Africa has since 1994 used a two-tier compensatory member PR system for National Assembly elections. However, it has since the mid-nineties been discussed if the system needs amendment to enable it to deliver the kind of accountable parliament South Africa so direly needs.
Project
Private Law for Human Flourishing: Rethinking Justice in Everyday Relations by Integrating Vulnerability and Capabilities into Private Law Theory
Private law governs the everyday interactions between individuals and businesses—how we make agreements, resolve disputes, and secure basic goods.
Project
Oversight Intimacies: Police Violence and Reform in Kenya
This book project - Oversight Intimacies: Police Violence and Reform in Kenya - explores how police reform and accountability unfold in practice, focusing on Kenya as a critical site of analysis.
Project
Let’s Play for Power: Gamifying Urban Transformation in African Cities
Cities Imagine if transforming African cities was not just about navigating complex challenges but about unlocking collective imagination.
Project
An interdisciplinary international approach for sustainable and viable food production systems for Africa
This interdisciplinary fellowship investigates the theoretical and design foundations of aquaponics—a circular food-production system combining aquaculture and hydroponic plant cultivation within Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA).
