Wilbert Zwart

Since I started my PhD in 2003, my research has been focused on hormonal treatment resistance in cancer. In 2009, I completed my PhD training (Cum Laude, NKI-AVL Award laureate, Royal Dutch Microscopy Society Award), and received an NWO Rubicon as well as a KWF fellowship for a postdoctoral training at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge research Institute (lab of prof. dr. Jason Carroll). This project was focused on steroid receptor coactivator function in breast cancer where I identified multiple prognostic gene signatures for breast cancer risk stratification.

In 2011, I received an Dutch Scientific Organization NWO VENI grant, after which I started my independent research lab at the Netherlands Cancer Institute as junior group leader (assistant professor level), and was promoted to group leader (associate professor level) in November 2016.

Since starting my lab, I have been awarded the ‘Alpe d’HuZes Bas Mulder Award’, a ‘Pezcoller Fellowship’, an NWO VIDI grant, A Mark Foundation ASPIRE Award and DoD IDEA Development Award. In addition, our work was recognized with the ‘Best Paper Clinical Endocrinology 2015’ Award by the Dutch Endocrine Society. In 2017, I was recruited as junior group leader to Oncode Institute.

In May 2018, I was appointed endowed professor ‘Functional Genomics in Oncology’ at the Eindhoven University of Technology. Mid 2019, I was appointed Chair of the NKI Translational Research Board, aimed to foster and stimulate interactions between lab and clinic. My research activities are focused on translational endocrinology and all our projects revolve around steroid hormone receptors, epigenetics and transcriptional regulation.