The Executive Board appoints physicist Chase Broedersz as professor of Theoretical Physics on a University Research Chair (URC), effective from September 1.
Broedersz is one of the world's leading experts in the field of Theoretical Physics of Life. His research aims to understand the physics of biological functions, and how these are affected by diseases or genetic modifications. He combines traditional theoretical methods with modern data-driven methods (e.g. machine learning) to tackle the complexity of living systems.
Broedersz and his fellow researchers have published many studies in top-tier journals such as Nature, Science, Nature Physics and PNAS. He was previously affiliated with, among others, Princeton University, the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities and the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich.
Innovative contributions
He developed innovative and well-recognized contributions to physics and quantitative biology, such as the first data-driven method to describe the migration dynamics and interactions of healthy and cancerous cells. Moreover, his interdisciplinary work is of great social value.
This appointment enables Broedersz to build even more bridges between theory and experiment with research and educational communities at the VU and beyond.
University Research Chair
The University Research Chair is a select appointment as a professor, with a number of special facilities. With the URC, VU Amsterdam recognizes its excellent scientists who are considered upcoming leaders in their field.