Kerensa Broersen appointed Chair of Nutritional Biology

Photo credit Fokke Eenhoorn

The brain and the gut are closely connected. They communicate continuously, for example via neural pathways and the immune system. As a result, what we eat – and the micro-organisms in our gut – influences how our brain functions. Broersen studies how these signals travel between gut and brain and how nutrition shapes this process.

To investigate these complex interactions, Broersen recreates human tissue using stem cells on microfluidic chips. These chips allow researchers to simulate physiological and disease-related processes under controlled laboratory conditions. They can, for instance, examine how nutrients support brain health or contribute to disease development. For example, recent studies showed that the gut plays a key role in the onset of neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease.

In her new role as Chair, Broersen builds on her earlier work. She began her career by studying protein aggregation and its role in neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. During postdoctoral positions in Cambridge and at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, she examined how protein aggregates contribute to the development of these conditions. Gradually, her focus shifted from from individual molecular mechanisms to more complex biological systems. A key step in this transition came during a sabbatical at the University of California, Berkeley, where she worked with stem cell-based organoids to study processes in the brain.

Back in the Netherlands, she combined this expertise with microfluidics to develop organ-on-a-chip models that mimic the gut–brain axis. “Such models offer an interesting way to study how nutrition mechanistically influences brain health, also in developing and ageing brains,” says Broersen.

These chip-based systems bring together her expertise in molecular mechanisms, her interest in nutrition and her focus on interactions between organs. At Wageningen, she plans to expand this interdisciplinary approach. She sees the Nutritional Biology chair group as a strong foundation for this work. “The group has established an impressive, world-leading reputation elucidating the biological mechanisms linking diet to health,” she says.

In her new role, Broersen aims to strengthen this integrated approach and introduce new technologies to further unravel the interaction between diet, the gut and the brain. “I look forward to contributing to this work and to further strengthening the group’s position as a global leader in nutritional biology in the decades ahead.”

Kerensa Broersen (Hoorn, 1975) studied Nutrition and Dietetics at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences and obtained a Master’s degree in Nutrition and Food Management from the University of Huddersfield (UK). She completed her PhD at Wageningen University & Research in Food Chemistry. After postdoctoral positions in Cambridge and Brussels, she established her own research line at the University of Twente, where she was appointed Professor in 2024. Since 1 April 2026, she has held the Chair of Nutritional Biology within the Division of Human Nutrition and Health at WUR, succeeding Renger Witkamp.