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After finishing my physics study at the Rijksuniversiteit in Utrecht in 1983, I started my graduation research at SLAC, California. I worked for over four years on finding four fantastic events of the type: etac —> K+K–K+K–. In this period of time I also made my greatest discovery so far: my wife Mieke van den Berg.
After my graduation I started working on the L3 experiment at the LEP accelerator at CERN, Switzerland. These were very productive years: 10 graduate students, over 200 publications and two fantastic kids: Jeroen and Kimberly. In my time at LEP I developed myself from a typical shy physics student (including glasses but without acne) to an impatient, hard working and from time to time not too diplomatic scientist. In 1993 this resulted in becoming a professor at the Universiteit van Amsterdam.
 Back at NIKHEF in Amsterdam I slowly switched from the successful L3 experiment to the development of one of the future experiments at CERN’s new Large Hadron Collider: the immense large ATLAS experiment.
In 2000 I moved back permanently to the Nederlands and worked until 2004 as program leader of the Dutch ATLAS affiliation. On 1 December 2004, I took my second sabbatical to become NIKHEF director for five years.
Ever since my professorship at the University of Amsterdam I give education and outreach a prominent spot on my agenda. I consider the “Keerpunten” lectures and my Bliksemlezing (one of the “Wakker Worden” lectures) at the science museum NEMO highlights.
On the weekend I am an enthusiastic wind surfer, kayak surfer and mountain biker. This last hobby I do especially on vacation, in Almere (my hometown) mud biker would be a more appropriate name! A constant factor in my life is that I always have too little time for my wife and children. I think this will remain the same for a while.
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Blog coming soon. 