Radboudumc researcher Felix Hol has been selected as one of the new fellows of the prestigious TED Fellows Program. The 2026 cohort brings together innovators from around the world working on major global challenges, including pandemics, artificial intelligence, justice and democracy.
For more than 17 years, the program has supported scientists, artists, entrepreneurs and activists with ideas aimed at real-world impact. Fellows receive communication training, mentorship and access to a global network. They also have opportunities to share their work with the wider TED community.
Felix Hol is an assistant professor at Radboudumc and a Talent Track fellow. His research focuses on mosquitoes that transmit diseases such as malaria and how these insects adapt to the tools humans use to control them.
Over the past decades, interventions such as insecticide-treated bed nets have saved millions of lives. Yet mosquitoes can adapt. In some regions they have shifted their biting behavior, for example by biting earlier in the evening or outdoors, avoiding the protection of bed nets.
Understanding mosquito behavior
Understanding these behavioral changes is central to Hol’s research. In the lab and in the field, his team studies how mosquitoes detect humans. This includes how they sense chemical signals on our skin or in the air. These insights help explain how mosquitoes locate people and why certain prevention measures become less effective over time.
Hol’s work combines fundamental science with practical solutions. Together with collaborators, he develops simple and affordable tools to monitor mosquito populations and improve disease control. Many of these tools are designed as open-source technologies so they can be used and adapted worldwide.
Fieldwork is an important part of this research. In northern Uganda, for example, Hol works with local teams who collect mosquitoes from people’s homes. These collaborations help researchers understand how mosquito behavior changes in response to prevention measures used in real life. The findings contribute to improved strategies to control malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases.
Part of the 2026 TED Fellows cohort
Hol joins a diverse group of TED Fellows this year. The 2026 class includes researchers and innovators working on vaccine development, the societal impact of artificial intelligence, digital evidence of human rights abuses and new forms of civic leadership.
Selection as a TED Fellow offers Hol an opportunity to share his research with a global audience and connect with innovators from different disciplines.
For Radboudumc, the recognition highlights how research from Nijmegen contributes to addressing global health challenges, sometimes starting with something as small as a mosquito.
