Dr. Erik Vrij is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Maastricht University’s GROW Research Institute for Oncology and Reproduction, with a close affiliation to the MERLN institute. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and his master’s degree in biomedical engineering, both from the University of Twente (The Netherlands). He subsequently earned his PhD at Maastricht University under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Van Blitterswijk and Dr. Rivron, with his thesis entitled Directed assembly and development of engineered tissues using microwell screening platforms.
During his first postdoctoral appointment, Dr. Vrij exploited microwell screening platforms to identify optimal conditions for induction of mouse blastoids; stem cell-based embryo models that recapitulate the blastocyst stage. Then, in 2018, he was awarded a Rubicon-funded postdoctoral fellowship at the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA) in Vienna, joining the laboratory of Dr. Koo. There, he focused on the development of genetic tools for morphometric screening in organoids and embryo models.
Since 2021, Dr. Vrij has held a tenure-track appointment in Reproductive Bioengineering, where he develops novel microphysiological models to understand and guide early embryonic development, and responsibly harness these insights for advancing reproductive and regenerative medicine.
More information on www.vrijlab.org
