Winning two prizes in one month is not a given for every scientist, especially not this early in a career. But you have to push glycochemist Marthe Walvoort pretty hard to make her say ‘I am proud’. She particularly emphasises the importance of a stimulating environment for success.

Besides her efforts in the areas of outreach, inclusivity, diversity and helping early-stage researchers, Adjunct Professor of Chemical Glycobiology Marthe Walvoort (38) is steadily building a career based on sugars: on the one hand, the role of glycans in bacteria and, on the other, the sugar molecules in breast milk. In December, she received both the Early Career Award from the KNAW and the Athena Award from NWO. According to the KNAW, the former is intended for ‘researchers in the Netherlands who are at the start of their career and have innovative, original research ideas’. The second goes exclusively to female scientists and has an explicit role model aspect.

The jury’s last statement is difficult to dispute: during our conversation in her office at the Stratingh Institute on the campus of the University of Groningen, Walvoort shows a good smile with an infectious enthusiasm. And a hint of imposter syndrome. Laughing: ’Yes, that’s right, I can totally relate to that! Even though it doesn’t make any sense. Of course I am proud. I think I am. But I have set myself goals and we are far from achieving them. I am confident that we will get there. But at what point can you really be proud of your achievements?