Daniel Peeper

Daniel Peeper is Head of the Department of Molecular Oncology at the Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI), where he chairs both the Scientific Faculty Council and Translational Research Board. He concurrently holds an Affiliate Professorship in Functional Oncogenomics at VU University Medical Center. He received his PhD from Leiden University (1994) after studying Medical Biology at VU University, followed by postdoctoral training at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and NKI.

His research program focuses on:

• Melanoma pathogenesis through oncogene-induced senescence mechanisms
• Functional genomic screens for cancer vulnerabilities
• Metabolic reprogramming in tumor progression
• Therapy resistance mechanisms in immunotherapy and targeted treatments
• Development of preclinical platforms for translational research
• Breast cancer metastasis drivers and biomarkers

His publication portfolio (2005-2015) demonstrates sustained focus on cancer mechanisms with key contributions to understanding oncogene-induced senescence, therapy resistance, and metastasis. Recent work emphasizes functional genomics approaches and biomarker discovery.

Major scientific honors:

• Society for Melanoma Research Outstanding Researcher Award (2015)
• EMBO Membership (2008)
• Queen Wilhelmina Research Award (2009)
• VICI Award (2006)
• VIDI Award (2002)
• ERC Synergy Grant (€15M, 2013)

He leads the Division of Molecular Oncology at NKI, supervising a research team focused on translational cancer biology. The lab employs high-throughput screening technologies and develops innovative preclinical models to identify therapeutic targets.