Prof. dr. Tjakko Abee studied Biology, specialization Microbial Ecology and Medical Microbiology, and obtained his PhD degree in Molecular Microbiology, Mathematics and Natural Sciences at Groningen University and is since 2005 full professor (personal chair) in Food Microbiology at Wageningen University. Main research areas include functional genomics, microbial ecology and physiology of spoilage bacteria and food-borne pathogens, and minimal processing.