Maarten van Lohuizen

Maarten van Lohuizen is a Professor of Biology and Epigenetic Regulation of Stem Cells at the University of Amsterdam (since 2007, part-time) and holds a part-time Professor position at Amsterdam University Medical School. He serves as Head of the Division of Molecular Genetics at The Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI) since 2002 and has been an Associate Professor/staff member there since 2000. His career spans significant contributions to epigenetics and cancer biology.

• Education: Cum Laude Masters (1986) and PhD (1992) in Biology from the University of Amsterdam
• Postdoctoral training: UCSF (1993-1995) and NKI (1992-1993)

His research focuses on epigenetic gene silencing mechanisms via Polycomb-group protein complexes, which regulate development, differentiation, stem cell identity, and cancer formation. Current work employs human cancer organoids and mouse models to test epigenetic therapies and screen for Polycomb targets using in vivo shRNAi.

Key research contributions include developing genome-wide high-throughput genetic screens in cell-based assays and cancer-prone mice to identify oncogenic pathways, as well as a novel transposon-based reporter system for chromatin effects on gene regulation. His work bridges fundamental epigenetic mechanisms with translational cancer research.

• 1999 PIONEER grant from NWO
• EMBO member since 2004
• Member of Centre for Biomedical Genetics
• Multiple awards for academic excellence (cum laude degrees)