Tjitske Nienke "Cisca" Wijmenga (born 16 February 1964) is a Dutch professor of Human Genetics at the

University of Groningen The University of Groningen (abbreviated as UG; , abbreviated as RUG) is a Public university#Continental Europe, public research university of more than 30,000 students in the city of Groningen (city), Groningen, Netherlands. Founded in 1614, th ...

and the

University Medical Center Groningen The University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG, ), formerly Groningen University Hospital, is the main hospital in Groningen, Netherlands. The medical centre is affiliated with the University of Groningen and offers supraregional tertiary care to ...

. She was

Rector Magnificus A rector (Latin for 'ruler') is a senior official in an educational institution, and can refer to an official in either a university or a secondary school. Outside the English-speaking world, the rector is often the most senior official in a u ...

of the University between September 2019 and September 2023.

Life

Wijmenga was born on 16 February 1964 in

Drachten Drachten (, ) is a town in the northern Netherlands. It is located in the municipality of Smallingerland, Friesland. It had a population of around 56.098 in 2023 and is the Friesland#Urban areas, second largest town in the province of Friesland. ...

. She studied biology at the University of Groningen and obtained her PhD at

Leiden University Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; ) is a Public university, public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. Established in 1575 by William the Silent, William, Prince of Orange as a Protestantism, Protestant institution, it holds the d ...

in 1993 with a thesis titled: "''Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy: from genetic mapping towards gene cloning''". In 1999 she became a university lecturer of medical genetics at the

University Medical Center Utrecht The University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU; Dutch: ''Universitair Medisch Centrum Utrecht'') is the University hospital of the city of Utrecht, Netherlands. It is affiliated with the Utrecht University. Since the foundation of the university in 16 ...

. In 2003 she became professor of human genetics at

Utrecht University Utrecht University (UU; , formerly ''Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht'') is a public university, public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established , it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2023, it had an enrollment of ...

. In 2007 Wijmenga switched to the University of Groningen where she also became professor of human genetics. She was appointed as

of the University per September 2019, becoming the first female to hold the position. During her time in office she strived for more recognition of the education part of the university. In November 2022 she announced she did not aspire a second term for personal reasons. She was succeeded on 1 September 2023 by Jacquelien Scherpen.

Awards and honours

Wijmenga was appointed a member of the

Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (, KNAW) is an organization dedicated to the advancement of science and literature in the Netherlands. The academy is housed in the Trippenhuis in Amsterdam. In addition to various advisory a ...

in 2012. In 2013 she became a member of the

Academia Europaea The Academia Europaea is a pan-European Academy of humanities, letters, law, and sciences. The Academia was founded in 1988 as a functioning Europe-wide Academy that encompasses all fields of scholarly inquiry. It acts as co-ordinator of Europe ...

. In 2015 she was one of four winners of the Dutch

Spinoza Prize The Spinoza Prize () is an annual award of 1.5 million euro prize money, to be spent on new research given by the Dutch Research Council (NWO). The award is the highest scientific award in the Netherlands. It is named after the philosopher Baruc ...

, the highest Dutch distinction for academics working in the Netherlands. The award comprises €2.5 million. She was awarded the prize mainly for her research into the genetic factors associated with

coeliac disease Coeliac disease (British English) or celiac disease (American English) is a long-term autoimmune disorder, primarily affecting the small intestine. Patients develop intolerance to gluten, which is present in foods such as wheat, rye, spelt ...

. She has also shown that several

autoimmune diseases An autoimmune disease is a condition that results from an anomalous response of the adaptive immune system, wherein it mistakenly targets and attacks healthy, functioning parts of the body as if they were foreign organisms. It is estimated that ...

share common genetic factors. In 2018, she was awarded the United European Gastroenterology Research Prize of €100.000. In the same year she was made a Knight in the

Order of the Netherlands Lion The Order of the Netherlands Lion, also known as the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands (, ) is a Dutch honours system, Dutch order of chivalry founded by William I of the Netherlands on 29 September 1815. The Order of the Netherlands Lion wa ...

. In 2022 Wijmenga was elected a member of the

European Molecular Biology Organization The European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) is a professional, non-profit organization of more than 2,100 life scientists. Its goal is to promote research in life science and enable international exchange between scientists. It co-funds cour ...

References

External links

Profile at University of Groningen
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wijmenga, Cisca 1964 births Living people Academic staff of the University of Groningen Academic staff of Utrecht University Dutch geneticists Knights of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Leiden University alumni Members of Academia Europaea Members of the European Molecular Biology Organization Members of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences People from Drachten Rectors of universities in the Netherlands Spinoza Prize winners University of Groningen alumni