From 1967‑1973 he studied at the University of Amsterdam, majoring in biochemistry. In 1977 he completed his PhD in microbiology at the same university. From 1978‑1979 he worked as a research associate at Indiana University in Bloomington (IN), USA. Subsequently, he became a KWF (Dutch Cancer Fund) Fellow at the Central Blood Bank Laboratory in Amsterdam. In 1980 he joined the Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM) of Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam. In 1987 he became responsible for IVM research in Environmental Toxicology, in 1993 for the Sector Environmental Quality, and in 1996 for the Programme ‘Environmental Resource Management’. From 1999-2005 he led the interdisciplinary NWO programme PROFETAS (Protein Foods, Environment, Technology And Society). In 2001 he became responsible for IVM research in ‘Chemistry & Food’ as an associate professor. In 2006 he became involved in the FP6 project REMEDE (Resource Equivalency Methods for Assessing Environmental Damage in the EU). He has been leading dozens of multidisciplinary projects on the interface of the natural and the social sciences.
Key networks and memberships
- Advisor to the Dutch Attorney General in cases of industrial soil pollution since 1987
- EUROTOX Registered Toxicologist since 1997
- Netherlands Society of Toxicology
- Royal Netherlands Society of Chemistry
- Netherlands Society of Biotechnology
- Netherlands Society of Environmental Science
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