Contact: Tjalling Jager
The Vrije Universiteit
Abraham Kuyper, Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1901 to 1905, founded VU University Amsterdam in 1880. At first, the university was only open to Reformed Christians and was largely financed by their fund-raising efforts and donations. Since the 1960´s, however, VU University Amsterdam has been open to everyone and funded in the same way as the other Dutch universities. The word Vrije (literally: “free”) in the name of the university refers to the fact that the university should be free from the interference of state and church. More information.
Department of Theoretical Biology
The main objective of the research programme of the department (headed by Prof. Bas Kooijman) can be labelled as quantitative bio-energetics. The aim of the research programme is to develop a quantitative and coherent theory for energy and mass transduction that links theories concerning all levels of organization, from membrane physiology to ecosystem dynamics. Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) theory was developed in this group, and the group has a strong track record in applying the theory to the effects of stressors (especially toxicants), population biology, bioengineering, and evolutionary ecology (adaptive dynamics).
The department does not have experimental facilities, but has a long history of successful interdisciplinary collaborations with (inter)national partners. More information about the department. More information about application of DEB theory in ecotoxicology.
CREAM project hosted by Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam:
Elke Zimmer: Population consequences of individual-level mechanisms related through dynamic energy budgets
