Robert de Vries

Dr. Robert de Vries is an Associate Professor at the Department of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University. His research focuses on the receptor binding specificity of influenza A viruses and other glycan-binding pathogens, with particular interest in mechanistic understanding of viral-host interactions, chemo-enzymatic glycan synthesis, and development of glycan arrays for specificity assays.

His work has revealed key mutations in zoonotic influenza viruses through collaborations with structural biology groups (Ian Wilson, Rob Woods), combining X-ray crystallography, glycan modeling, and multivalent binding assays. He has received prestigious grants including an ERC Starting Grant (2018), NWO VENI Fellowship, and Rubicon Fellowship.

• Key Research Themes:
  • Influenza A virus receptor specificity
  • Rotavirus and avian coronavirus glycan interactions
  • Antiviral glycomimetics development
  • Host sialic acid diversity in pathogenesis
• Notable Discoveries:
  • Molecular basis for avian-human receptor switching in H5/H7 viruses
  • Role of sialylated glycolipids in SARS-CoV-2 entry
  • Evolutionary constraints in hemagglutinin glycosylation
  • Novel influenza receptors in livestock species

Scientific Recognition:

• Beijerinck Premium (2019)
• ESWI Best Body of Work Award (2020)
• ERC Proof of Concept Grants (2022, 2024)
• Mizutani Foundation Grant (2023)
• NWO XL Grant (2024)

He supervises PhD students and collaborates with international institutions like Scripps Research Institute and University of Twente, with recent publications in Nature, PNAS, and Cell journals.