Education/training

• 1989: PhD-degree in Mathematical and Natural Sciences at State University Groningen
• 1984: MSc-degree in Biology at the State University Groningen

Professional History

• 2019-2024 Honorary board member and advisor of Shouguang Vegetable Industry Holding Group (China/The Netherlands)
• 2019-2022 Taishun Industrial Talent program award Shandong province China
• 2016-2019 Honorary Professor of the Industrial Crop research Institute of Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, Henan (China)
• 2013-2017 Honorary Professor of Zhoukou Normal University, Zhoukou (China)
• 2007-2017 Honorary Professor of Institute for Vegetables and Flowers of CAAS, Beijing (China)
• 2016-2018 Dean of Research for Wageningen University &Research
• 2005-present Chair of Plant Breeding, Wageningen University & Research
• 2004-present Professor & Chair holder of Plant Breeding, Wageningen University
• 1998-present Full Professor (on personal title) at Plant Breeding, Wageningen University

Membership of organisations

• Elected Member of the Koninklijke Hollandse Maatschappij der Wetenschappen (2015-present)
• Board Member (2012- present) & past President (2016-2020) of EUCARPIA
• Board Member of European Association of Potato Researchers (2008-2016)
• Member of the Academic Board of Wageningen University (2010-2018)
• Board Member and Vice Chair of the Board for Variety Protection in the Netherlands (2005- 2021)
• Board Member of the Virtual Lab for Plant Breeding (2014-2021)
• Member of the Top sector Board Starting materials (TKI-U 2014-2016); Better Plants for New Demands program (2016-present)