prof. dr. H.G.M. (Bert) Niesters

Bert Niesters (1958) studied biology and chemistry in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. After obtaining his PhD in Utrecht (Prof.dr. M. Horzinek and Prof.dr. B. van der Zeijst, 1987) on the molecular epidemiology of infectious bronchitis virus, he worked as a post-doctoral fellow with Prof. dr. Jim Strauss at the California Institute of Technology (Pasadena, USA) on the replication of Alphaviruses. He received a Niels Stensen fellowship (The Netherlands) and an E.S. Gosney fellowship (CalTech) during this period.
After returning to the Netherlands (1989), he became a research associate in medical microbiology at the Diagnostic Medical Center (Delft), but moved back to clinical virology as a senior research associate in 1991 at the University Medical Center Rotterdam (Head Prof.dr. Ab Osterhaus). From 1993 till 2007, he was responsible for the molecular diagnostics unit. During this period, he has been involved in the discovery and characterization of several new viruses and variants. In 2007, he became full professor and director of the new laboratory of Clinical Virology within the Department of Medical Microbiology at the University Medical Centre Groningen and the University of Groningen. 

He has been actively involved in the implementation and development of new technologies like real-time amplification and automation within clinical virology. He has been focussing of molecular diagnostics and its use in a transplant setting as well in monitoring treatment of hepatitis viruses.
He is active as a board member in several national and international societies . Since 2000, he is scientific advisor and chair of the executive board of QCMD (Quality Control of Molecular Diagnostics). He is also an auditor for the Council of Accreditation, and adviser to the expert panel in the field of medical devices by the European Commission. Furthermore, he is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Clinical Virology.

He is an (co)-author of more than 340 peer reviewed papers and reviews. H-index= 82 (2023).