Hans Clevers is the ad interim Director and Head at IHB and oversaw the successful establishment of IHB in 2023. In addition, he leads the newly founded group, Patho-biology of Endodermal Organs, at IHB. This group will focus on disease mechanisms that affect the human lung, liver and pancreas.
Hans has been the Head of Pharma Research and Early Development (pRED), of which IHB is part, since 2022. In this role, he is responsible for the strategy, development and management of all aspects of early research and discovery at pRED. He also serves as a member of the expanded Corporate Executive Committee for Roche.
Within the academic sphere, he holds a professorship in Molecular Genetics from the University Utrecht. He is also currently an advisor/guest researcher at the Hubrecht Institute, where he was group leader from 2002 until 2022. He remains engaged with his former lab, now the Organoid group.
Hans Clevers is world-renowned for his work in the fields of cell biology, molecular signaling and stem cells. His research groups’ discoveries include the detailed characterization of the molecular effectors and integrators of the “Wnt” pathway, which play crucial roles in health and disease, including colon cancer. His group provided important insights into the roles of the LGR5 protein in stem cell regeneration. The Clevers’s group pioneered organoids with their seminal work.
Hans Clevers obtained his MD and PhD degrees from the University Utrecht, the Netherlands. He previously held directorship/President positions at the Hubrecht Institute, the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Princess Maxima Center for pediatric oncology.
He is the recipient of multiple international scientific awards, including the Breakthrough Prize in Life Science. Hans Clevers is a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (NL), the National Academy of Sciences (USA), the Royal Society (UK) and the Academie des Sciences (France). He is also Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur and Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion, among many other international accolades.
