| birthdate | January 24, 1960. |
| birthplace | Ridderkerk, The Netherlands. |
| citizen | The Netherlands. |
| Married, three children. |
| 2005- | University Professor, University of Amsterdam. |
| 1992-2004 | Professor of Mathematical Physics, Korteweg-de Vries Institute for Mathematics, University of Amsterdam. |
| 1991-1992 | Long-Term Member, School of Natural Sciences, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton. |
| 1989-1991 | Research Associate, Physics Department, Princeton University. |
| B.Sc. | Physics (cum laude), Utrecht University, 1982. |
| Gerrit Rietveld Academie, Amsterdam (painting), 1982-1984. | |
| M.Sc. | Theoretical Physics (cum laude), Institute for Theoretical Physics, Utrecht University, 1986. |
| Ph.D. | Utrecht University (cum laude), 1989 (advisor Prof. dr. G. 't Hooft). |
| 2005 | Coxeter Lectures, Fields Institute, Toronto. |
| 2004 | Member, Koninklijke Hollandsche Maatschappij der Wetenschappen. |
| 2003 | NWO Spinoza Premium. |
| 2003 | Member, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW). |
| 2003 | Johann Bernoulli Lecture, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen. |
| 2002 | Floer Memorial Lecture, Stanford University. |
| 2002 | Physica Prize, Dutch Physical Society (Nederlandse Natuurkundige Vereniging). |
| 2002 | Witthaker Lecture, University of Edinburgh. |
| 2000 | Plenary lecture, International Congress of Mathematical Physics, London. |
| 2000 | Plenary lecture, European Congress of Mathematics, Barcelona. |
| 1999 | Donegall Lecturer (1688), Trinity College, Dublin |
| 1998 | Invited lecture, International Congress of Mathematicians, Berlin. |