Now that I am retiring, I like to support research by young scientists

After having dedicated 41 years to malaria research at the Leiden University, I'm retiring on the 12th of August

Now that I am retiring, I like to support research by young scientists and their research on ecosystems and biodiversity to ensure prosperity and sustainability.

The funding will support the research of dr. Michiel Veldhuis. He is an ecologist and affiliated with the interdisciplinary programme Liveable Planet from Leiden University (see the video below), which studies the impact of global climate change on the African savanna. The research is aimed at contributing to sustainable development for a better future that is not at the expense of the environment and biodiversity.

As a student I was interested in ecological issues and my graduate projects involved studies on the influence of forest management on bird species diversity and studies on parasitic wasps for use in biological control of insect pests. After my biology degree my scientific career was centred around researching parasites that cause medical problems. The first 25 years, the focus was mainly on unravelling cellular and molecular pathways underlying the complex life cycle of malaria parasites. While during the last 15 years, it shifted to vaccine development against malaria (see the website pberghei.nl for more information on my research activities).

Watch the video in which Michiel explains his work.