Trained in medical biology, at Universities of Groningen en Utrecht (from 1981 until 1987).

PhD promotion on effects of organotin compounds on thymus, PhD graduation in 1992.

Current interests: immunotoxicology mucosal immunology, food allergy (risk factors and therapy), drug allergy and drug-induced liver injury (predictive models and mechanism)

In addition, full professor at University of Applied Sciences Utrecht, with research focus om development of animal-test-free methods, for instance focused on intestinal health (stemcell organoids, human exercise studies0