Jury 2025

We are happy to announce the AmSIA jury in 2025, which is made up of both academic and industry professionals.

İlknur Dönmez, chair of the jury

İlknur Dönmez is the Director of Economic Affairs and Culture (EZC) at the City of Amsterdam. The Directorate of Economic Affairs and Culture focuses on working together to create a sustainable and innovative region, where culture, employment, and future perspectives for the residents of Amsterdam and the region are central. İlknur has extensive experience in both the corporate sector and various levels of government, including municipal, regional, and national government. She is a generalist with broad substantive knowledge and a strong passion for economic and social issues.

Ruben Brave

Ruben Brave (1974) is a Dutch internet pioneer, media professional and serial tech entrepreneur in media and telecommunication (TMT). In 2021 he was elected by 500+ members as the first black President of the Dutch Chapter of Internet Society (ISOC NL). Photo by Pieter Bas Bouwman

Recently Ruben co-founded the Dutch New Narrative Lab Foundation (DNNL) with the mission to improve access to innovative entrepreneurship for all underrepresented groups in the Dutch startup scene.

Marie Louise Blankesteijn

As an associate professor at the Department of Physics and Astronomy and program director of the Bachelor Science, Business & Innovation (SBI), Marie Louise Blankesteijn is positioned at the heart of experimental and entrepreneurial science. In that position, she devotes her expertise and skills to the further development of entrepreneurial science & engineering, and education. Marie Louis does so both on the level of research, via her Science & Tech Entrepreneurship Group – as well as on a practical level, as being involved in teaching and educational management.

Zeliha Guler

Dr. Zeliha Guler is a Principal Investigator and Assistant Professor in Translational Tissue Engineering at Amsterdam UMC. Her groundbreaking research focuses on pelvic floor disorders and birth-related trauma, combining expertise in nanoscience, biomedical engineering, and regenerative medicine.

Zeliha’s unique background bridges fundamental nanomaterial research with practical medical applications,
enabling her to effectively translate scientific discoveries into real-world healthcare solutions. In 2023, she received the prestigious AMSIA award for her innovative wound-healing scaffold technology.

We’ll be sure to announce the remaining two members of the jury very soon.