15 Theses From the Class of 2025

Curiosity in Action

Each year, UCU students explore big questions through their theses, drawing on the knowledge and skills they’ve developed in their interdisciplinary studies. These fifteen theses offer just a glimpse into the energy, creativity, and dedication of this year's graduates and the breadth of interests within our community.

Click on any graduate’s photo to read a short overview of their thesis, learn why they chose their topic, and see what they’re doing next.

Science

In the sciences, graduates investigated how the world works, from the smallest molecular processes to the complexities of the human brain.

  • Karsten Heebing '25

    Infant Brain Oscillations Through Pandemic Regulations: Linking Neural Tracking, Word Comprehension, and Early Linguistic Environments During COVID-19

    Majors: Chemistry, Cognitive Neuroscience Minor: Linguistics

  • Jula van Koetsveld '25

    Investigating How Perivascular OPCs Modulate Vascular Morphology and Integrity During Brain Development

    Majors: Molecular Cell Biology, Cognitive Neuroscience, Medical Sciences
    Minor: Psychology  

  • Althéa de Freitas Branco Saiyad '25

    King of the Fungal: Exploring the Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Microbial Properties of Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus) Polysaccha

    Majors: Molecular Biology, Cognitive Neuroscience
    Minor: Psychology

Social Sciences

The social sciences offer a lens on human behaviour, communities, and systems. These theses explore pressing issues, from political dynamics to everyday social realities, with a focus on understanding and improving the ways we live together.

  • Flora Izar Thompson '25

    Orchids on Spikes: Fear of Crime and Daily Life in a Middle-Class São Paulo Neighborhood

    Majors: Anthropology, Sociology

  • Muriel Owen '25

    Can I Sleep Here? The Eighth Amendment’s Role in Relation to the Criminalization of Life-Sustaining Acts for Homeless Americans

    Majors: Law, Sociology

  • Julie Hellemons '25

    Imitating and Collaborating with the Far Right: Dilan Yeşilgöz and the VVD’s Strategic Response to the PVV’s Electoral Success

    Majors: Political Science, Geography
    Minor: History

Humanities

In the humanities, graduates examined culture, history, and ideas—and how they shape the world we inhabit. Their work reflects a deep engagement with texts, art, and human expression, uncovering connections between the past and present.

  • Alicja Chojnacka '25

    Stuck Between Two Worlds: Post-Communist Nostalgia in Contemporary Literature and Film

    Majors: Literature & Classics, Media Studies

  • Sophia Kusch '25

    Disseminating a Dream: Constructing the Fantasy of Parisian Dress via Fashion Plates

    Majors: History, Art History & Museum Studies
    Minor: Anthropology

  • Enija Mišela Dzene '25

    The Syntax and Semantics of Latvian "lai" ir Directive and Desiderative Environments

    Majors: Linguistics
    Minor: Sociology

  • Ollie Köhn-Haskins '25

    “save your tears to water soil of uprooted olive trees”: The hydropolitics of Palestine as a vessel for memory and resistance in Hala Alyan’s and Suheir Hammad’s poetry

    Majors: Literature & Classics, Philosophy, Media Studies

Inter-domain

Some questions can only be answered by crossing traditional boundaries. Inter-domain theses bring together methods and perspectives from different fields to tackle complex topics in new ways, demonstrating the value of UCU’s interdisciplinary approach.

  • Priyal Ranka '25

    (En)Countering the (Dominant) Corporate Food System: Food Activism and Alternative Food Initiatives in Utrecht

    Majors: Anthropology, Economics, Earth & Environment
    Minor: Media Studies

  • Anna Koperberg '25

    Taking the International Seriously: The Importance of the “International” for International Churches in Utrecht

    Majors: Religious Studies, Political Science

  • Alejandra Monerri Revuelta '25

    The Mathematics of Borges: A Literary Analysis

    Majors: Literature & Classics, Mathematics

  • Jule van der Vlies '25

    Speaking Up Together: Investigating the Impact of Authority Reactions and Bystander-Authority Relationship Quality on Voice Support

    Majors: Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience

  • Romane Berthelot-Frankard '25

    “Free me of my metonymy”: Transcending the Political Symbol in Mahmoud Darwish’s The Butterfly’s Burden

    Majors: Literature & Classics, Mathematics, Physiology

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