Prof. dr. Debbie van Baarle as new scientific director of Lifelines
We are pleased to share that Prof. Dr. Debbie van Baarle is our new Scientific Director as of september 1st. She succeeds Prof. Jochen Mierau, who left Lifelines on September 1, 2025.
With our ever-growing wealth of data and biomaterials, Lifelines has become an essential infrastructure for answering today’s and tomorrow’s research and policy questions. A strong scientific foundation is indispensable for our social impact. With the arrival of Prof. Dr. van Baarle, we expect to strengthen our scientific foundation and further increase our social impact.
Background Debbie van Baarle
Debbie van Baarle is Professor of Immunology of Vaccinations at the UMCG. With her analytical and solution-oriented approach, she is ideally suited to move Lifelines forward together with the team and our partners.
Van Baarle: “Lifelines offers a unique opportunity to contribute to stimulating research and translating that knowledge into societal impact. With my extensive knowledge e and experience in setting up and using biobanks, I am eager to serve as an ambassador for even better use of Lifelines data and samples, and to encourage research projects whose results can be implemented and create real impact.”
Dual Leadership
In her new role, Prof. Dr. Debbie van Baarle will form the dual management team of Lifelines together with Kaat van de Vyver (General Director). We look forward to working with her and wish Debbie van Baarle every success in her new position!