Paul van der Wielen’s research focuses on understanding the growth of, and interactions between, various microorganisms in natural and man-made water systems, and the environmental conditions that influence these processes. This enables the investigation of more targeted measures to control the growth of opportunistic pathogens in water systems, to stimulate the growth of microorganisms that convert undesirable chemicals in water systems, and to identify indicators that warn of poor water quality and the causes thereof. The research also focuses on microbiome-targeted therapies, whereby the introduction or stimulation of beneficial microorganisms in water systems leads to improved removal of undesirable substances and the suppression of the growth of undesirable microorganisms such as Legionella.
About Paul van der Wielen
Prof. Dr Paul van der Wielen (1970, Nistelrode) began his academic career at the University of Groningen, where he obtained his Master’s degree in biology, specialising in microbial ecology, in 1996. He continued his studies at Utrecht University to pursue a PhD. In this research, he investigated how naturally occurring microorganisms in the caecum of broiler chickens can Salmonella. In 2002, he obtained his PhD with his thesis entitled “Role of volatile fatty acids in competitive exclusion of Salmonella enteritidis.”
Following his PhD, Prof. van der Wielen spent three years as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Groningen. Here, he worked on research into microbial communities in deep-sea salt lakes in the Mediterranean, discovering that microbial life is possible even at very high concentrations of magnesium chloride. Since 2004, he has been working at KWR Water Research Institute, the research institute of the Dutch drinking water companies. Here, he investigates the growth of Legionella in water systems, the biological stability of our drinking water and the use of microorganisms to purify water. Together with microbiological researchers from other universities, Prof. van der Wielen was part of the core team that secured the Holomicrobiome Project (€200 million) from the National Growth Fund in 2024/2025. He is also working on many other projects, which can be read about on his webpage.