One and a half year into his at the Netherlands Cancer Institute, Heinz Jacobs is more than happy to intensify his collaboration with his Amsterdam colleagues. Not only his research group, but also all our PhD’s will benefit from this appointment, he predicts: “Collaboration and knowledge exchange will be the rule, not the exception.”
Jacobs’ research group investigates different aspects of cancer and immune cells, such as the way cells deal with DNA damage. His chair Genetic instability and carcinogenesis at VU Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, allows him to work on high impact results within the context of new – and intensified ongoing – collaborations.
This strengthened connection with the Amsterdam scientific community enables him to boost his efforts to provide PhD students with a solid basis for their future careers. Aiming for optimal supervision and mentoring, he places great importance on creating the right workplace culture: “My group pursues scientific excellence, while at the same time creating a workplace where young students feel safe. A place where they are allowed to make mistakes when discovering their skills and interests, and where personal circumstances are always considered. It is also with this ambition that I perform my tasks as dean of the Oncology Graduate School Amsterdam for all oncology-related PhD’s in Amsterdam.”