The Vera Šnajder Award

Who was Vera Šnajder?

Vera Šnajder was born on 2 February 1904 in Reljevo near Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. As one of the best mathematicians of her generation she was awarded a French government fellowship that allowed her to travel to Paris in 1929. In Paris she pursued her research at the Institute Henri Poincaré, which had just been established by mathematicians Émile Borel from France and George David Birkhoff from the United States to foster international exchanges in mathematics and theoretical physics. Mixing with the crème de la crème of the French scientific community, she also worked as a research associate at the Laboratory for Hydrodynamics at the Sorbonne, became the first author from Bosnia and Herzegovina to publish work in mathematics.

However, in late 1932 Vera turned down the offer and decided to return to Sarajevo to work as a professor at the Women’s Secondary College. Together with her husband, Marcel Šnajder, she became a permanent fixture of a close-knit group of cosmopolitan and progressive Sarajevo intellectuals.

After the liberation of the city in 1945, Vera Šnajder devoted her physical and intellectual powers to the rebuilding of her homeland: helping establish the Department of Mathematics at the University of Sarajevo, making scientific connections with domestic and international institutions, sending students and colleagues on study abroad programs, and tirelessly and selflessly promoting and encouraging young scholars in their professional and personal development.

Vera was the first women elected to the position of Dean in the whole of Yugoslavia. She served at the University Senate for many years, and also served on the Educational Board of Bosnia and Herzegovina, was president of the Committee of the Board of National Library, member of the Committee for Election of Scientific Associates, president of the Committee for Professorial Exams and also a long-term president of the Yugoslav-French Society.

More importantly she tirelessly nurtured students and advised younger professional staff throughout her career with the far-sighted intention of bringing their overall knowledge and skills to perfection. This way the young generation would enjoy personal and professional success while simultaneously serving and improving their homeland.

The purpose of the award

Vera Šnajder’s life was transformed through access to education and international mobility which allowed her to learn from the best. Her fellowship at the Institute Henri Poincaré gave her the chance to push her intellectual limits and explore her potential as a researcher and professional. She took full advantage of this opportunity. She quickly secured a research position at the Laboratory for Hydrodynamics at the Sorbonne, published her work in Comptes Rendus des Sciences de l’Acadèmie des Sciences and was even headhunted for a position at the newly formed French Ministry of Aeronautics (Ministère de l’Air).

The most remarkable aspect of Vera’s story is that this truly life changing experience (the chance to travel and mingle with the intellectual elite in Paris) culminated with Vera returning to her homeland and investing her new experiences into education, a cornerstone of a modern and prosperous society. Put bluntly, Vera recognised very early on the importance of “giving back” to the community she felt she belonged to.

The Vera Šnajder Award will enable an early career researcher from Bosnia and Herzegovina, who like Vera is passionate about the relationship between a personal quest for knowledge and its collective societal advancement, to attend and participate in an international conference outside of BIH relevant to their current research. Successful candidates will:

• present their current research (as an invited presenter, as an oral presentation or a poster presentation) at an international conference OR
• attend a international conference as a delegate with the aim of disseminating the acquired knowledge in Bosnia and Herzegovina through a successful implementation of a project or program.

The overall aim of the award is to help the awardee:

1. become a global citizen;
2. bring home new knowledge and perspectives and incorporate them into the advancement of our nation and society;
3. bring home new cultural experiences to strengthen the multicultural and multi-ethnic foundations of BIH.

Application details and tips

As part of the application process you are required to provide:

1. Information about yourself and your studies
2. Information about the conference you intend to attend 
3. A detailed explanation of your motivations (Submitted as motivational letter)
4. A proposed budget (submitted as excel budget - click here to download)
5. A Letter of Recommendation