Young Investigators Forum

The Young Investigators Forum (YIF) is a collective that enables assistant and associate group leaders at the faculties of Science and Veterinary Medicine to exchange ideas and play an active role in the Science for Life research domain. The YIF promotes collaboration, exchange of knowledge, materials and equipment, and provides a voice for young group leaders at various programme boards. Have a look at the the videos below to get an impression of the work and ambitions of YIF members or contact them if you have any questions or remarks.

Our activities include:

Mailing list

The YIF maintains an active mailing list that provides direct access to all YIF members. Whether you are looking for help with a grant application, a collaborator with specific expertise, or a particular piece of equipment: help is just an email away.
Please fill in this form if you wish to be added to this list. 

These gatherings provide the perfect opportunity for the start of interdisciplinary and collaborative research

Gatherings

The YIF organises and hosts gatherings where all researchers who are active in Science for Life research can come together to discuss their research and current topics of interest, ranging from teaching practices to diversity. These gatherings provide the perfect opportunity for the start of interdisciplinary and collaborative research. It also helps starting group leaders to get to know other researchers at the campus. 

Representation

The YIF provides representation for assistant/associate professors at meetings of the programme boards of Science for Life and Life Sciences. This allows their voices to be heard in the decision making process, and also informs young investigators of important decisions that may affect them.

Join!

We welcome any group leader who is not yet a full professor who maintains an experimental research line in an area of fundamental research in the life sciences.
Join our mailing list!

The YIF board

The YIF board consists of eight 'young' investigators, and is represented by a chair and co-chair. The goal is for the YIF board to reflect the makeup of its constituents, and we are always on the lookout for young investigators interested in joining the board.

See below for an overview of the current board members. Click on their pictures for more information about their research and ambitions and don't hesistate to contact them if you have any questions or want to know more!

YIF Alumni

  • Prof. Nathaniel Martin

    Nathaniel Martin was a member of the YIF until he was appointed Professor in Bioorganic Chemistry at Leiden University.

  • Prof. Celia Berkers

    Celia Berkers was a member of the YIF until her appointment as professor of Metabolomics at Utrecht University.

  • Prof. Mike Boxem

    Mike Boxem was a member of YIF until his appointment as Professor of Cellular and Systems Developmental Biology at Utrecht University in 2020. 

  • Prof. Saskia van Wees

    Saskia van Wees left the YIF after she was appointed as Professor of Hormonal Regulation of Plant Defense at Utrecht University. 

  • Dr. Seino Jongkees

    Assistant Professor Seino Jongkees left the YIF in 2021. He has moved his research group to the VU. 

  • Prof. dr. ir. Tina Vermonden

    After  her appointment as Professor in Biomaterials in Drug Delivery and Regenerative Medicine in 2020, Tina Vermonden left the YIF. 

  • Corette Wierenga

    Corette Wierenga was a YIF board member until her appointment as a full professor in neurophysiology at Radboud University in 2022.

  • Wei Wu - Pharmaceutical Sciences

    Dr. Wei Wu - Wei Wu left the YIF board in 2022 after she joined the Singapore Immunology Network (ASTAR-SIgN).

  • Rashmi Sasidharan - Plant Ecophysiology

    Rashmi Sasidharan left the YIF board when she started leading the new group ‘Plant stress resilience’ in July 2022.