Prof. dr. G.S. (Sander) van Doorn is an Associate Professor at the University of Groningen’s Faculty of Science and Engineering, affiliated with the Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES). He specializes in theoretical biology, focusing on evolutionary systems biology and microbial adaptation. His work integrates mathematical modeling with experimental evolution to study topics like bacterial chemotaxis, metabolic diversification, and antibiotic resistance. Education: MSc Biology (Utrecht University, 1999), PhD in Mathematics and Natural Sciences (Groningen University, 2004). Postdoctoral research included stints at the University of Texas at Austin, Santa Fe Institute, and University of Bern. Research interests include evolutionary mechanisms shaping molecular networks, phenotypic plasticity, speciation theory, and the interplay between bacterial metabolism and environmental adaptation. He leads projects on bacterial chemotaxis, competence evolution, and eco-evolutionary dynamics of antimicrobial resistance. He chairs the committee of church stewards for the Protestant Church in Hoogezand-Sappemeer and serves as Programme Director for the BSc/MSc Biology programs. Key collaborations involve molecular genetics groups for experimental validation of theoretical models. Recent work emphasizes the evolutionary origins of metabolic flexibility and how microbial communities resist antibiotics through collective strategies. His theoretical frameworks explain how network complexity influences evolutionary trajectories, bridging systems biology and traditional evolutionary theory.












