Rob Leurs

Prof. Rob Leurs is a Full Professor at the Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. He holds concurrent appointments as Full Professor at AIMMS and serves as a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW). His academic career includes roles as Director of the Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences (2006) and Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Science (2007-2010). He co-founded Griffin Discoveries, a biotech company focused on GPCR ligand discovery.

• Education: BSc and PhD in Medicinal Chemistry from VU University Amsterdam (graduated 1987, PhD 1991).
• Postdoctoral research at INSERM Paris (histaminergic/serotonergic receptor cloning).
• Leadership roles: Scientific Director of Leiden-Amsterdam Center for Drug Research (2003-2005), Member of Top Institute Pharma Executive Board (2005-2008).

Research focuses on GPCRs, histamine/chemokine receptors, and structure-based drug design against Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs). Key projects include EU-funded PDE4NPD program and Dutch Top Institute Pharma NTD initiatives. Awards include Galenus Prize (1997), Organon Award (2000), and KNAW membership (2016).

Publications span 422+ works, with recent emphasis on optogenetic ligand control and GPCR drug discovery. Ancillary roles include Secretary of Farmacochemie Amsterdam and Farmacochemische Congressen since 2013.