Peter J. Peters (born 22 August 1957) is a professor of nanobiology and a distinguished university professor at Maastricht University. Peters is best known for his work in electron microscopy (EM) and cellular immunology. He is the founder and director of the Institute of Nanoscopy.[1]
Early life and education
Peters was born in Hunsel, the Netherlands in 1957.[2] The eldest of six children, he often accompanied his father—a farmer—on errands. On one such visit to a local artificial insemination station, Peters discovered a keen interest in science.
Since 1988, Peters has collaborated with Hans Clevers, working to establish human tissue organoids from stem cells in order to study the origin and mechanism of cancer and infection.
Peters’s current research goal is to devise a way of doing cryo-electron tomography in order to give a 3D view of a cell’s internal structure. His research group under M4I’s Division of Nanoscopy studies the 3D structure of an important component of the nanomachinery in bacteria causing tuberculosis.
Other professional activities
Peters hold patents for three inventions, with a fourth filed and pending. One of his innovations resulted in a commercial product used in EM, currently sold by Leica Microsystems.
Peters is a member of the American Society of Cell Biology and the European Society of Microscopy. In 2016, he was elected to the Netherlands Academy of Technology and Innovation.[10] He has frequently chaired international conferences and symposia, most recently the 19th International Microscopy Conference in Sydney, Australia in 2018.[11]
Peters founded the Netherlands Postdoc Career Development Initiative (PDCI) in 1998 and served as its dean until 2002. PDCI was highlighted in the international press, in Cell,[12][13]The Scientist,[14] and Nature.[15] Peters was editor of the journal Microscopy (formerly the Journal of Electron Microscopy) from 2008 to 2012.
^Peters, Peter J.; Neefjes, Jacques J.; Oorschot, Viola; Ploegh, Hidde L.; Geuze, Hans J. (1991). "Segregation of MHC class II molecules from MHC class I molecules in the Golgi complex for transport to lysosomal compartments". Nature. 349 (6311): 669–676. doi:10.1038/349669a0. ISSN1476-4687. PMID1847504. S2CID4242062.