Erwin Peterman

Erwin Peterman is a Full Professor at the Faculty of Science, VU University Amsterdam, specializing in the Physics of Living Systems and affiliated with the LaserLaB - Molecular Biophysics. His research focuses on understanding life processes at the single-molecule level through experimental biophysics.

He employs

• single-molecule fluorescence microscopy
• fluorescence spectroscopy
• optical tweezers

to study motor protein cooperation in C. elegans cilia, DNA mechanics, membrane protein dynamics in bacteria, and development of novel biophysical instrumentation.

His recent work emphasizes

• intraflagellar transport mechanisms
• chromosome condensation physics
• quantitative biophysical modeling
• single-molecule cellular imaging

as evidenced by publications in Nature Materials and Nature Communications.

Award highlights include

• NWO Physics Valorization Prize (2017)
• ERC Advanced Grant (2018)
• NWO VIDI (2003) and VICI (2011) grants

He teaches

• Microscopy and Spectroscopy
• Mechanics and Thermodynamics in the Cell

to Physics and Biomolecular Sciences students, while supervising numerous BSc and MSc research projects.