John van der Oost

John van der Oost is a Professor at Wageningen University's Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry, specializing in bacterial genetics and CRISPR-Cas systems. He holds adjunct roles including Visiting Professor at Montana State University. His research focuses on prokaryotic defense mechanisms, enzyme optimization, and CRISPR-Cas applications. He leads a 20-member team and has advised 13 PhD students.

• Education: PhD from Free University Amsterdam (1989)
• Postdocs: Helsinki University (1990), EMBL Heidelberg (1991-1992)

Research interests span CRISPR-Cas systems, prokaryotic Argonaute proteins, and bacterial anti-viral strategies. He pioneered studies on ThermoCas9 and Cpf1/Cas12, with over 285 publications (>25,000 citations) and 25 patents. Collaborations include EU projects and the NWO-Gravitation consortium for synthetic cell research.

Notable achievements include the Spinoza Prize (2018), EMBO membership (2014), and KNAW election (2017). His work bridges fundamental science and biotechnological applications, advancing CRISPR-based tools and microbial engineering.