After completing my medical studies at the University of Groningen, I specialized and obtained a PhD in Neurology. My scientific research focuses on diseases affecting motor neurons responsible for muscle control, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), and polyneuropathy. The goal is to develop effective therapies for patients with these conditions by studying the molecular disease mechanisms that lead to neuronal dysfunction or degeneration and identifying ways to intervene.

I serve as the coordinator of the ALS Center and am a professor of Neurology and Experimental Neurology at the University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU). I actively promote international collaboration through my role as chair of the European Network for the Cure of ALS (ENCALS) and as coordinator of various European research projects focused on ALS.