Daniël Pijnappels

Daniël Pijnappels is Professor of Cellular Electrophysiology at Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) and heads the Experimental Cardiology Laboratory there. He also holds a Medical Delta Professorship at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EEMCS) of Delft University of Technology, reflecting his interdisciplinary approach to cardiovascular research.

Research Focus

• Cardiac electrophysiology, particularly light-sensitive ion channels and optogenetic applications in heart tissue
• Development of implantable bioelectronic systems for arrhythmia correction
• Integration of biology, physics, and engineering for heart self-regulation
• Pioneering self-defibrillating heart tissue through detector-effector technology

Collaborative Innovation

• Co-developed first implantable LED technology with GuoQi Zhang (Delft University of Technology)
• Founded a multidisciplinary research environment with physicists, engineers, and physicians
• Advocates for cross-institutional collaboration in medical technology

Educational Contributions

• Mentors early-career researchers in interdisciplinary methodologies
• Develops educational animations for complex cardiovascular concepts
• Promotes integrated learning between biological and technical sciences