Rutger Hermsen

Rutger Hermsen is an Assistant Professor in the Science Biology faculty at Utrecht University, leading the Hermsen lab under the Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics group and the Institute for Biodynamics & Biocomplexity. His work focuses on mathematical and computational models of biological systems, particularly bacterial physiology and evolutionary biology.

• Email: r.hermsen@uu.nl
• Contact: Hugo R. Kruytgebouw, Padualaan 8, Kamer N602, 3584 CH Utrecht

Research Interests span evolutionary theory, population dynamics, gene regulation, and bacterial physiology. He develops models to study eco-evolutionary interactions, such as antibiotic resistance development, and applies multiscale frameworks to analyze selection pressures in spatially structured populations. His work bridges theoretical biology with bioinformatics and computational methods.

Publications highlight his expertise in analyzing spatial selection mechanisms (2024), cellular regulatory networks (2023), and evolutionary transitions (2022). These studies integrate mathematical models with experimental data to address fundamental biological questions.

Supervision includes Bryan Verhoef, whose NWO-funded PhD project explores antibiotic resistance modeling, and Charlotte de Vries, a senior postdoc studying aging's role in evolutionary transitions. Collaborations extend to the Tans group at AMOLF for bacterial growth experiments.

Laboratory combines computational approaches with interdisciplinary research, focusing on bacterial homeostasis, multilevel selection, and eco-evolutionary demography. The lab contributes to understanding cellular regulatory mechanisms and evolutionary processes through innovative theoretical frameworks.