AMOLF group leader Jeroen van Zon appointed professor of Quantitative Developmental Biology at Leiden University

Jeroen van Zon – Group Leader, Quantitative Developmental Biology at AMOLF

(IN BRIEF) AMOLF’s Jeroen van Zon has been named professor of Quantitative Developmental Biology at Leiden University, effective 1 September. While continuing to lead his AMOLF research group, he will also broaden collaborations in developmental biology, particularly with Leiden’s Institute of Biology. His group integrates physics-based methods, advanced microscopy, neural networks, and modeling to study how cells divide, migrate, and specialize within living tissues and organs. Jeroen’s career has evolved from theoretical modeling to experimental biology, with his current research focused on C. elegans and organoids. His dual role strengthens the partnership between AMOLF and Leiden University, advancing interdisciplinary research and education in developmental biology.

(PRESS RELEASE) AMSTERDAM, 4-Sep-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — AMOLF Group Leader Jeroen van Zon has been appointed professor at Leiden University as of 1 September. His new chair is titled Quantitative Developmental Biology, and he will continue to head the Quantitative Developmental Biology research group at AMOLF alongside his academic role at Leiden.

Quantitative developmental biology seeks to understand how organisms grow and form by applying physics-based and quantitative perspectives. Jeroen’s group combines advanced microscopy, artificial neural networks, and mathematical modeling to track single cells over long timescales, observing how they divide, migrate, and specialize into distinct cell types. Importantly, this work is performed within the natural environment of tissues and organs, which makes it possible to reveal how cells interact as part of larger living systems. By integrating physical and biological concepts, the research illuminates how complex developmental patterns emerge from individual cellular behaviors.

Through his appointment, Jeroen hopes to expand collaborations beyond the biophysics community at AMOLF, particularly with colleagues at Leiden’s Institute of Biology (IBL). He sees strong overlap between the developmental processes explored at Leiden and those investigated in his own group, paving the way for ambitious joint research efforts.

Jeroen’s scientific journey has been shaped by his longstanding interest in how cells make decisions and form patterns in noisy molecular environments. During his PhD, he focused on creating mathematical models to describe the rules of cellular decision-making. Over time, his work shifted toward experimental biology, especially advanced microscopy applied to developmental processes. His team now investigates the nematode worm C. elegans and various organoid systems, combining quantitative approaches with biological questions to address fundamental mechanisms of development.

The joint appointment strengthens ties between AMOLF and Leiden University, fostering collaboration, innovation, and the training of future scientists in this rapidly developing interdisciplinary field.

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SOURCE: AMOLF