About
Rob J. de Boer is a Professor of Theoretical Biology at Utrecht University, where he directs PhD programs in computational and quantitative biology and leads the Theoretical Biology group. He has maintained continuous staff membership since 1991 and serves as an External Faculty Fellow at the Santa Fe Institute since 1992.
His academic background includes:
- Ph.D. in Theoretical Immunology from Utrecht University (1989) under Paulien Hogeweg
- Postdoctoral research at Los Alamos National Laboratory with Alan Perelson
Professor de Boer's research investigates the immune system as a complex decision-making entity, specializing in how it processes diverse stimuli (from pathogens to food proteins) and forms lifelong immunological memory. His theoretical frameworks bridge computational modeling, quantitative biology, and immunological theory to decode system-level decision mechanisms.
His scientific recognition includes:
- NWO Vici award for Theoretical Immunology research (2004)
He serves as Deputy Editor of PLOS Computational Biology and teaches Theoretical Biology at Utrecht University alongside international immunology courses at global summer/winter schools. His mentorship spans numerous PhD students through directed programs, though individual names aren't specified. The Theoretical Biology group he leads develops computational approaches to model immune system dynamics and biological complexity.
