Jeroen Pasterkamp

Jeroen Pasterkamp is a Full Professor of Translational Neuroscience at Utrecht University and UMC Utrecht, leading the Department of Translational Neuroscience and the UMC Utrecht Brain Center. He holds roles such as Chair of Research Domain, Co-lead of the National Growth Fund application ‘CPBT’, and founder of the MIND facility (specializing in iPSC, brain organoids, and 3D imaging). His academic journey includes a PhD from the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience (1996–2000) and a postdoc at Johns Hopkins University (2000–2004).

Research Interests: Focuses on neural circuit development and neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., ALS), leveraging advanced techniques like brain organoids, iPSC modeling, and 3D microscopy. Key areas include midbrain dopamine systems, axon biology, non-coding RNA roles, and translational neuroscience applications.

• Developed human brain organoid models for neurobiological studies, a pioneering effort in the Netherlands.
• Recipient of prestigious awards including the Gravitation Award (2019) and VENI-VIDI-VICI grants (2004–2015).
• Supervised 41 PhD students and 11 postdocs, many now leading independent groups.
• Organizes major conferences (e.g., EMBO, AXON) and science outreach initiatives.

Labs & Teams: Heads the Pasterkamp Lab and co-manages the MIND facility, collaborating nationally and internationally on projects like the Horizon Europe neural circuit initiative. His work bridges basic research and clinical translation, addressing connectivity loss in neurodegenerative diseases.