Barend Mons
Encyclopedia
Barend Mons is a biologist and bioinformatics
specialist. Since 2002 he is an Associate Professor in Bio-Semantics
at the Department of Medical Informatics, Erasmus Medical Centre
, University of Rotterdam and (since 2005) also at the Department of Human Genetics at the Leiden University Medical Centre
, both in The Netherlands
.
Mons has a PhD (1986) from Leiden University
, and has worked for more than ten years on the genetic differentiation of malaria
parasites, publishing over 45 research articles.
In 1996 Mons joined the European Commission
as a Seconded National Expert with the task to develop and support international scientific networks, especially with developing countries as partners. During this time, Mons supported several other international initiatives. He founded one of the first electronic interactive communication systems for science networking with developing countries, SHARED, for which he started to (co-)design thesaurus-based concept extraction technologies in order to match across languages and jargon, with the Erasmus University of Rotterdam as the major partner. In 1999 he joined the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (The National Research Council, NWO) as a senior adviser on International Health Research.
In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Mons has remained involved in international scientific management and networking at various levels. He was one of the Founding Trustees of the Centre for the Management of Intellectual Property in Health Research and Development, which assists people in developing countries to manage their critical IP for the betterment of Society. He also co-founded Knewco, Inc. (2006) and still serves on its board.
His present activities mainly focus on international networking to realise a completely new form of Computer Assisted Distributed Annotation and on-line knowledge discovery, in close collaboration between the University of Rotterdam, Leiden University Medical Centre and Knewco, and largely based on the Knowlet technology combined with Open Access and WikiProfessional
(Open Source Wiki-technology) approaches. He is a member of the Executive Committee for the Innovative Medicines Initiative
project known as Open PHACTS.
Bioinformatics
Bioinformatics is the application of computer science and information technology to the field of biology and medicine. Bioinformatics deals with algorithms, databases and information systems, web technologies, artificial intelligence and soft computing, information and computation theory, software...
specialist. Since 2002 he is an Associate Professor in Bio-Semantics
Semantics
Semantics is the study of meaning. It focuses on the relation between signifiers, such as words, phrases, signs and symbols, and what they stand for, their denotata....
at the Department of Medical Informatics, Erasmus Medical Centre
Erasmus MC
The Erasmus MC is the academic hospital of the city of Rotterdam, The Netherlands. It is affiliated with the Erasmus University of Rotterdam, and home to its faculty of medicine...
, University of Rotterdam and (since 2005) also at the Department of Human Genetics at the Leiden University Medical Centre
Leiden University Medical Center
The Leiden University Medical Center or LUMC, is the university hospital affiliated with Leiden University, of which it forms the medical faculty...
, both in The Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
Mons has a PhD (1986) from Leiden University
Leiden University
Leiden University , located in the city of Leiden, is the oldest university in the Netherlands. The university was founded in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, leader of the Dutch Revolt in the Eighty Years' War. The royal Dutch House of Orange-Nassau and Leiden University still have a close...
, and has worked for more than ten years on the genetic differentiation of malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
parasites, publishing over 45 research articles.
In 1996 Mons joined the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
as a Seconded National Expert with the task to develop and support international scientific networks, especially with developing countries as partners. During this time, Mons supported several other international initiatives. He founded one of the first electronic interactive communication systems for science networking with developing countries, SHARED, for which he started to (co-)design thesaurus-based concept extraction technologies in order to match across languages and jargon, with the Erasmus University of Rotterdam as the major partner. In 1999 he joined the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (The National Research Council, NWO) as a senior adviser on International Health Research.
In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Mons has remained involved in international scientific management and networking at various levels. He was one of the Founding Trustees of the Centre for the Management of Intellectual Property in Health Research and Development, which assists people in developing countries to manage their critical IP for the betterment of Society. He also co-founded Knewco, Inc. (2006) and still serves on its board.
His present activities mainly focus on international networking to realise a completely new form of Computer Assisted Distributed Annotation and on-line knowledge discovery, in close collaboration between the University of Rotterdam, Leiden University Medical Centre and Knewco, and largely based on the Knowlet technology combined with Open Access and WikiProfessional
WikiProfessional
WikiProfessional is a web-based research environment for semantic searching, providing an intuitive tool for analyzing and relating concepts....
(Open Source Wiki-technology) approaches. He is a member of the Executive Committee for the Innovative Medicines Initiative
Innovative Medicines Initiative
The Innovative Medicines Initiative is a European initiative to improve the competitive situation of the European Union in the field of pharmaceutical research...
project known as Open PHACTS.