Prof. R.A.M. (Ron) Fouchier

I received a PhD in Medicine from University of Amsterdam in 1995 for studies on HIV and continued to study HIV as a post-doctoral fellow at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia, from 1995 - 1998.

I subsequently started a new group to study the molecular biology of respiratory viruses, in particular influenza A virus, at the Viroscience Department of Erasmus MC Rotterdam. Achievements of my team include the identification and characterization of several "new" viruses; the human metapneumovirus (hMPV), human coronavirus NL63, the SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV), the MERS coronavirus (MERS-CoV), and a new influenza A virus subtype (H16).

My research is focused on respiratory viruses of humans and animals, antigenic drift, and influenza virus zoonoses, transmission and pandemics. I am alumni member of the "Young Academy" of the Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences, elected member of the Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences, member of the Royal Holland Society of Sciences and Humanities, recipient of the 2006 Heine-Medin award of the European Society for Clinical Virology the 2013 Huibregtsen prize for top innovative science with societal impact and the 2023 Beijerinck Virology Prize of the KNAW. I co-authored more than 500 publications that have been cited >60,000 times. I am an editor for several infectious disease journals, and member of advisory committees for Dutch government and (international) scientific organisations and conferences. My group is part of an NIH/NIAID Center of Excellence for Influenza Research and Response and is further funded by several Dutch and EU programs.

2025 - present: Director, Dutch National Influenza Center

2017 - present : Deputy head of Department of Viroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, NL

2007 - present: Professor, Molecular Virology, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, NL

2006 - 2007: Associate professor, Molecular Virology, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, NL

2003 - 2007: Chief Technology Officer, ViroNovative B.V. (0.1 fte), Rotterdam, NL

2000 - 2004: Fellow of the Royal Dutch Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), NL

1998 - present: Senior scientist, dept. Viroscience, Erasmus MC Rotterdam, NL

1995 - 1998: Post-doc, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, dept. Microbiology, Philadelphia, PA, USA (Prof. Dr. M.H. Malim)

1990 - 1995: PhD medicine. University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Thesis: Molecular determinants of HIV-1 phenotype (Dr J.G. Huisman, Prof. Dr. H Schuitemaker)

1988 - 1990: Technician, Dept. Clinical Viro-Immunology, CLB, University of Amsterdam, NL

1984 - 1988: BSc Microbiology. State College of Agriculture, Wageningen, The Netherlands

A vaccine central in A(H5) influenza antigenic space confers broad immunity.
Kok A, Wilks SH, Tureli S, James SL, Bestebroer TM, Burke DF, Funk M, van der Vliet S, Spronken MI, Rijnink WF, Pattinson DJ, de Meulder D, Rosu ME, Lexmond P, van den Brand JMA, Herfst S, Smith DJ, Fouchier RAM, Richard M. Nature. 2025 Oct 15. doi: 10.1038/s41586-025-09626-3.

Influenza A(H5N1) shedding in air corresponds to transmissibility in mammals.
Tosheva II, Filaire F, Rijnink WF, de Meulder D, van Kekem B, Bestebroer TM, Funk M, Spronken MI, Cáceres CJ, Perez DR, Richard M, Koopmans MPG, Fraaij PLA, Fouchier RAM, Herfst S. Nat Microbiol. 2024 Dec 2. doi: 10.1038/s41564-024-01885-6.

Substitutions near the HA receptor binding site explain the origin and major antigenic change of the B/Victoria and B/Yamagata lineages.
Rosu ME, Lexmond P, Bestebroer TM, Hauser BM, Smith DJ, Herfst S, Fouchier RAM. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022 Oct 18;119(42):e2211616119. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2211616119.

Comparative pathogenesis of COVID-19, MERS, and SARS in a nonhuman primate model.
Rockx B, Kuiken T, Herfst S, Bestebroer T, Lamers MM, Oude Munnink BB, de Meulder D, van Amerongen G, van den Brand J, Okba NMA, Schipper D, van Run P, Leijten L, Sikkema R, Verschoor E, Verstrepen B, Bogers W, Langermans J, Drosten C, Fentener van Vlissingen M, Fouchier R, de Swart R, Koopmans M, Haagmans BL. Science. 2020 May 29;368(6494):1012-1015.

Ancient hepatitis B viruses from the Bronze Age to the Medieval period.
Mühlemann B, Jones TC, Damgaard PB, Allentoft ME, Shevnina I, Logvin A, Usmanova E, Panyushkina IP, Boldgiv B, Bazartseren T, Tashbaeva K, Merz V, Lau N, Smrčka V, Voyakin D, Kitov E, Epimakhov A, Pokutta D, Vicze M, Price TD, Moiseyev V, Hansen AJ, Orlando L, Rasmussen S, Sikora M, Vinner L, Osterhaus ADME, Smith DJ, Glebe D, Fouchier RAM, Drosten C, Sjögren KG, Kristiansen K, Willerslev E. Nature. 2018 May;557(7705):418-423.

Role for migratory wild birds in the global spread of avian influenza H5N8.
Global Consortium for H5N8 and Related Influenza Viruses (Lycett SJ, Bodewes R, Pohlmann A, Banks J, Bányai K, Boni MF, Bouwstra R, Breed AC, Brown IH, Chen H, Dán A, DeLiberto TJ, Diep N, Gilbert M, Hill S, Ip HS, Ke CW, Kida H, Killian ML, Koopmans MP, Kwon JH, Lee DH, Lee YJ, Lu L, Monne I, Pasick J, Pybus OG, Rambaut A, Robinson TP, Sakoda Y, Zohari S, Song CS, Swayne DE, Kim Torchett M, Tsai HJ, Fouchier RA, Beer M, Woolhouse M, Kuiken T. (2016). Science. 2016 Oct 14;354(6309):213-217.  

Antibody landscapes after influenza virus infection or vaccination.
Fonville JM, Wilks SH, James SL, Fox A, Ventresca M, Aban M, Xue L, Jones TC, Le NM, Pham QT, Tran ND, Wong Y, Mosterin A, Katzelnick LC, Labonte D, Le TT, van der Net G, Skepner E, Russell CA, Kaplan TD, Rimmelzwaan GF, Masurel N, de Jong JC, Palache A, Beyer WE, Le QM, Nguyen TH, Wertheim HF, Hurt AC, Osterhaus AD, Barr IG, Fouchier RA, Horby PW, Smith DJ. Science. 346:996-1000 (2014).

Identification, characterization, and natural selection of mutations driving airborne transmission of A/H5N1 virus.
Linster M, van Boheemen S, de Graaf M, Schrauwen EJ, Lexmond P, Mänz B, Bestebroer TM, Baumann J, van Riel D, Rimmelzwaan GF, Osterhaus AD, Matrosovich M, Fouchier RA, Herfst S. Cell. 2014 Apr 10;157(2):329-39. 

Substitutions near the receptor binding site determine major antigenic change during influenza virus evolution.
Koel BF, Burke DF, Bestebroer TM, van der Vliet S, Zondag GC, Vervaet G, Skepner E, Lewis NS, Spronken MI, Russell CA, Eropkin MY, Hurt AC, Barr IG, de Jong JC, Rimmelzwaan GF, Osterhaus AD, Fouchier RA, Smith DJ. Science. 2013 Nov 22;342(6161):976-9.

Limited airborne transmission of H7N9 influenza A virus between ferrets.
Richard M, Schrauwen EJ, de Graaf M, Bestebroer TM, Spronken MI, van Boheemen S, de Meulder D, Lexmond P, Linster M, Herfst S, Smith DJ, van den Brand JM, Burke DF, Kuiken T, Rimmelzwaan GF, Osterhaus AD, Fouchier RA. Nature. 2013 Sep 26;501(7468):560-3.

Isolation of a novel coronavirus from a man with pneumonia in Saudi Arabia.
Zaki AM, van Boheemen S, Bestebroer TM, Osterhaus AD, Fouchier RA. N Engl J Med. 2012 Nov 8;367(19):1814-20.

The potential for respiratory droplet-transmissible A/H5N1 influenza virus to evolve in a mammalian host.
Russell CA, Fonville JM, Brown AE, Burke DF, Smith DL, James SL, Herfst S, van Boheemen S, Linster M, Schrauwen EJ, Katzelnick L, MosterÃ_n A, Kuiken T, Maher E, Neumann G, Osterhaus AD, Kawaoka Y, Fouchier RA, Smith DJ. Science. 2012 Jun 22;336(6088):1541-7.

Airborne transmission of influenza A/H5N1 virus between ferrets.
Herfst S, Schrauwen EJ, Linster M, Chutinimitkul S, de Wit E, Munster VJ, Sorrell EM, Bestebroer TM, Burke DF, Smith DJ, Rimmelzwaan GF, Osterhaus AD, Fouchier RA. Science. 2012 Jun 22;336(6088):1534-41.

Discordant antigenic drift of neuraminidase and hemagglutinin in H1N1 and H3N2 influenza viruses.
Sandbulte MR, Westgeest KB, Gao J, Xu X, Klimov AI, Russell CA, Burke DF, Smith DJ, Fouchier RA, Eichelberger MC. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Dec 20;108(51):20748-53.

A complete overview of publications can be found here:

Scopus

2023: Beijerinck Virology Prize (KNAW)

2018: Member of the Academia Europaea

2016: Member of the Royal Dutch Academy of Arts and Sciences

2014 - present: Thomson Reuters Highly Cited Researcher

2015: Member of the Royal Holland Society of Sciences and Humanities

2013: Huibregtsenprijs for top innovative science with societal impact

2012: Friedrich Loeffler lecture, Greifwald Germany

2012: Elected Time Magazine “The 100 Most Influential People in the World”

2010: Special recognition award from NIAID/NIH for extraordinary work on H1N1 influenza

2008: NWO VICI laureate

2006: Heine-Medin award of the European Society for Clinical Virology

2005: Junior member of the Royal Dutch Academy of Arts and Sciences (Jonge Akademie)

2003: James H. Nakano citation for outstanding scientific paper from NCID/CDC, USA

2000: KNAW Fellowship (VIDI predecessor)

Research funding (current)

US NIH/NIAID contract “Center of Excellence for Influenza research and response”

EU Horizon 2020 program KappaFlu (avian influenza in wild birds and mammals)

EU Horizon 2020 program VEO (next generation sequencing, bioinformatics)

Support Casper grant (oncolytic viro-immunotherapy)

National Influenza Center contract with Min. VWS (human influenza surveillance)

Avian influenza surveillance contract with Min. LNV (active surveillance wild birds)

Pandemic and Disaster Preparedness Center frontrunner project (virus transmission)

EU4H program DURABLE (pandemic preparedness)

NIH R01 grant (immune escape of H3N2 virus)

ZonMW Pandemic preparedness kickstarter

Swine influenza (contract Min. VWS/LNV, antigenic characterization)

Hadea Strong1H (HPAI and WNV in wildlife)

NWO Netherlands Polar Programme “Polarflu” (HPAI surveillance, Arctic and Antarctica)

Capacity for active surveillance for HPAI in wild birds (Waddenzee, EFA)

EURL in Public Health for Respiratory Viruses (ECDC)(coordinator)