E.E. van Faassen, PhD
Interface Physics, Debye Institute
Utrecht University
The Netherlands

Presentation Title
Reduction of Nitrite to NO by Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase(Summary of Presentation)

Ernst van Faassen was born in 1958 in Amersfoort (NL) and received his primary training in Germany. He holds a degree in theoretical physics and received his doctorate with Professor John Tjon (Utrecht) for his thesis on “relativistic nucleon-nucleon scattering with isobaric degrees of freedom.” After two years as a post-doc at Maryland University, he returned to Utrecht to take up the post of researcher and lecturer at the Physics faculty, first at the group of Biophysics, and subsequently Interface Physics.

His research interests range widely from semiconductors, molecular crystals, organic solar cells, to life sciences and human health. He enjoys applying various spectroscopic techniques to investigate the structure and reaction chemistry of complex molecules, especially if they have relevance for human physiology and health. His involvement in clinical research and his collaborations with foreign institutes have raised his interest in nitric oxide and its metabolites. A large part of his recent work is connected with the physiological roles of nitric oxide and its detection in tissues.