The exposome: cracking the science about what makes us sick

Dr. Diederick (Rick) Grobbee serves as Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at Utrecht University Medical Center and Distinguished University Professor of International Health Sciences and Global Health. His academic credentials include an MD from Utrecht University and a Ph.D. in Epidemiology from Erasmus University Rotterdam. Through his Coursera courses in epidemiology and clinical research, he helps students understand principles of medical research and global health. As founder of the Julius Center in 1996, he established one of the world's leading institutions for clinical epidemiology. His research focuses on cardiovascular disease prevention and treatment, having authored over 1,300 scientific papers and supervised more than 150 Ph.D. fellows. His contributions earned him fellowship in the Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences and knighthood in the Order of the Dutch Lion. Currently serving as Editor-in-Chief of Global Heart and Chief Scientific Officer of Julius Clinical Research, he continues to advance clinical research and global health initiatives while directing the MSc program in Epidemiology at Utrecht University.

Roel Vermeulen is a Professor of Environmental Epidemiology and Exposome Science at Utrecht University and the University Medical Center Utrecht. He specializes in environmental risk factors for non-communicable diseases, integrating epidemiology, high-quality exposure assessment, and molecular biology through multidisciplinary research. Vermeulen leads prominent projects like the Dutch Exposome-NL consortium, the European EXPANSE project targeting urban exposomes, and the Utrecht Exposome Hub. His work focuses on quantifying external and internal exposomes—comprehensive environmental exposures influencing health throughout life stages—and their impacts on diseases such as cardiovascular conditions and diabetes. He has significant roles in European research networks and has contributed extensively to advancing exposome science globally.