Lukas Kapitein

Lukas Kapitein studied Physics at the VU University in Amsterdam, where he also received his PhD in Biophysics in 2007. His postdoctoral training in Neurobiology was at the Erasmus Medical Center. As of 2011, he works as a group leader at the Department of Biology at Utrecht University. In 2013, he received an ERC Starting Grant from the European Research Council and a VIDI fellowship from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research. The Kapitein lab studies the mechanisms by which cells establish and maintain their precise shape and intracellular organization. This is important, because form and function are closely connected and cellular disorganization often leads to cellular dysfunction and disease. By combining protein engineering, chemo- and optogenetics, advanced (super-resolution) microscopy techniques and mathematical modeling, we aim to obtain a mechanistic understanding of cellular organization in health and disease.