Dr Lex Verdijk (L.B.)

Dr. Verdijk is Associate Professor at the Department of Human Biology. He is involved in both research and education focused on the role of exercise and nutrition in the regulation of skeletal muscle mass and function. Within the M3 research unit, Dr. Verdijk’s research focuses mainly on exercise and/or nutritional interventions to counteract the loss of muscle mass and maintain or improve functionality with aging, inactivity and diseases.  He works on the premise that further development and tailoring of these interventions to the specific needs of (groups of) individuals is essential to better maintain muscle mass and function in both healthy and pathological conditions and, as such, to optimize clinical outcomes and support healthy aging of our society.

Dr Verdijk holds a BSc in Physiotherapy, an MSc in Movement Sciences, and in October 2009, he successfully defended his PhD thesis entitled “Satellite cells and skeletal muscle characteristics in sarcopenia” at Maastricht University. Dr. Verdijk has (co)authored more than 150 scientific publications, and is a member of ECSS, ACSM, IAGG, and DuSRA.