Ronald Plasterk

Ronald Hans Anton Plasterk (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈroːnɑlt ˈɦɑns ˈɑntɔn ˈplɑstɛrk]; born 12 April 1957) is a retired Dutch politician of the Labour Party (PvdA) scientist and entrepreneur. He served as Minister of Education, Culture and Science from 2007 to 2010 in the Fourth Balkenende cabinet and Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations from 2012 until 2017 in the Second Rutte cabinet, with a brief interruption in 2016. A member of the Labour Party (PvdA), he was elected to the House of Representatives from 2010 to 2012. A successful researcher and professor, Plasterk is a highly cited and prize-winning molecular geneticist. Since 1995 he has also been an author and columnist for several national publications. As of 2019, Ronald Plasterk is CEO and founder of Frame Therapeutics. He also is active at the University of Amsterdam as a professor in Novel Strategies for Access to Therapeutics.