Bosman is one of six nominees selected from 33 nominations. The jury describes his body of work as impressive, citing its broad applicability and the accessibility of his research to a general audience. According to the jury report, Bosman demonstrates how science can be connected to society. The winner will be announced at the Avond van Wetenschap & Maatschappij on 8 October 2026 at the Pieterskerk in Leiden.

In addition to his role at CWI, Bosman is a part-time professor at TU Delft. He developed the algorithm that forms the basis of BRIGHT, an AI system that supports physicians in creating treatment plans for patients receiving brachytherapy, a form of internal radiation therapy. Brachytherapy is primarily used in the treatment of prostate, cervical and breast cancer. During treatment, the patient temporarily receives an implant near the tumour, through which a radioactive source travels, pausing at various positions. The duration of each pause determines the amount of radiation delivered at that location. The aim is to target the tumour as precisely as possible while minimising exposure to healthy tissue.

Previously, this planning process was carried out manually by a team consisting of a physician, a clinical physicist and a technician. For prostate cancer, this could take up to an hour, during which the patient lay waiting on the treatment table with the implant already in place. BRIGHT generates a range of treatment options within seconds, from plans that irradiate the largest possible portion of the tumour to plans that maximally spare healthy tissue. The system identifies the most relevant trade-offs between these objectives, giving physicians a clear overview of the available options.

The current version of BRIGHT is more broadly applicable than the original and can generate treatment plans for all forms of cancer in which brachytherapy is used. A dedicated user interface allows physicians to inspect optimised plans directly and to select and compare multiple strong options within minutes. This enables treatment teams to reach decisions more quickly, while significantly reducing the time patients spend waiting on the treatment table.

BRIGHT is now in use at clinics in the Netherlands, Denmark, Austria, the United States and New Zealand. CWI collaborates closely with Amsterdam UMC and Leiden University Medical Centre in this area, and BRIGHT is used in clinical practice at Amsterdam UMC. Bosman emphasises that the development of BRIGHT was a team effort, involving physicians, clinical physicists, technicians and researchers working together.