Nature is stunningly beautiful, mysteriously complex and so effective that learning from it is pure joy. 

Jan de Boer obtained his MSc degree Biology at Utrecht University  in 1994. He then started his PhD research in the lab of Prof. Jan Hoeijmakers on the genetics of ageing at the department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Erasmus University Rotterdam. Next, he moved to the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (Cambridge, UK) where he worked as postdoctoral research fellow in Drosophila genetics. He returned to the Netherlands in 2002 to become a senior research scientist at the biotech company IsoTis, which was founded by Prof. Clemens van Blitterswijk with whom he collaborated until October 2018 when he moved to Eindhoven. In 2003, he became associate professor at the University of Twente and was awarded an NWO-VIDI grant in 2007. In 2012/2013 he spent a year as visiting scientist at the Broad Institute and Wyss Institute in Boston, MA, USA. In 2014, Jan de Boer was appointed full professor of Cell Biology-inspired Tissue Engineering at the Merln Institute of Maastricht University. Jan de Boer is co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of the biotech company Materiomics, established in 2009 as a spin-off of his work at the University of Twente. Materiomics exploits the 'TopoChip' technology to design and identify the best surface for improved functionality and durability of medical and cell culture devices.