NKI, Amsterdam (the Netherlands)

Group leader Signaling networks in cancer at the Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Roderick Beijersbergen's research group focuses on the development and application of large-scale screening technologies for the identification of novel targets for cancer therapy. With the development of the pooled screening technology, originally for RNA interference and more recently implemented for CRISPR/CAS9 screening, it is now possible to manipulate all genes in the human genome to study their role in cancer cell behaviour and therapy response. The use of these screening platforms has yielded important findings including novel cancer drug targets, insights in mechanisms of resistance and the identification of enhancers of response to targeted therapy. This has led to new oncology drug combinations currently tested in the clinic.

Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI), Amsterdam

Scientific Staff Member at CWI. Sander Bohté's research focuses on the interface of artificial intelligence and neurobiology. He researches deep neural networks and machine learning from a biological perspective and develops computational models in order to gain a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of information processes in biological neural networks.

Affiliated to: Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience

NIN and Hersenbank, Amsterdam (the Netherlands) 

Group leader at NIN. Inge complements the research of SILS with research into neuroimmunology and immune reactions in the central nervous system during the development, health and pathological conditions of the brain, with the focus on human brain research and MS.

Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI), Den Haag

Titia is teamleader Research at NFI. As professor at the UvA, Sijen will be conducting research into human forensic biological traces. This will include DNA research methods for searching, selecting, securing and identifying biological traces, including mixed biological traces. One of the main focuses will be on developing methods for clearly identifying crime-related cellular material, with epigenetic profiling possibly playing an important role. The ultimate goal is to be able to apply the research results in forensic practice.

In this position, Harrold Van den Burg can bridge between academic research & training and the demands of the international agrifood business.

Van den Burg’s chair focuses on understanding and applying fundamental processes in plant-pathogen interactions to improve food security. The emphasis will therefore be on research, training and project acquisition in applied plant pathology and addressing the effect of plant viruses and bacteria on crop yield.

Affiliated to: Molecular Plant Pathology

Advisor Microbiology

Office for Risk Assessment & Research, NVWA

Professor by special appointment of Microbial Food Safety, in particular the Epidemiological Determination of Microbiological Risks in Food Chains, at the University of Amsterdam’s Faculty of Science. The chair was established by the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) and embedded at the Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences (SILS) in the chair of Molecular Biology and Microbial Food Safety.  Linda Verhoef combines her special professorship with her position as a risk assessor at the NVWA.

Affiliated to: Molecular Biology and Microbial Food Safety

Sr Principal Scientist Microbiome and Hygiene DSM-Firmenich, leading the Knowledge Creation Microbiome exploratory portfolio. Beyond gut microbiome, he is involved in microbiome modulation within all human microbiomes (skin, oral cavity, vaginal), understanding their connections (so called axis) and cross-fertilizing microbiome sciences between DSM-Firmenich business groups.

The research of the new chair will focus on investigating communications in metabolic networks within microbiomes and towards the human host, in order to design and develop next-generation interventions that can productively interfere with these processes.

Affiliated to: Molecular Biology and Microbial Food Safety