Prof. dr. ir. P.J.M. Weijs (Peter)

Peter Weijs (1964) is Professor of Nutrition and Exercise at AUAS. His research focuses mainly on body composition, energy and protein requirements, and optimisation of dietary therapy for people with overweight, malnutrition and serious diseases. In a nutshell: weight management. The connecting thread in his work is effective, targeted and evidence-based dietetics. He is a member of the city-funded Amsterdam Healthy Weight Initiative (AAGG) advisory group and of the AUAS Urban Vitality agenda committee.

After completing his MSc in Human Nutrition and Health at Wageningen University, Peter briefly worked in the United States (University of Texas) to do doctoral metabolic research using tracer methods, after which he returned to Wageningen and in 1993 completed his PhD on factors that determine protein requirements. Subsequently he became a lecturer in Physiology at Wageningen and worked at the Rowett Research Institute in Aberdeen as a European Commission Marie Curie Fellow.

In 1994 he changed over to Nutrition and Dietetics at the AUAS, coordinating student thesis research projects and establishing the Food Laboratory. From there, it was a natural progression to lecturer in Health Management, in 2009. In addition, Peter is working on the SIA-SPRONG project Mensen in Beweging. In this project, researchers are looking at healthy nutrition and exercise for vulnerable groups in combination with sustainable behavioural influencing using creative technology.

As of 2004 Peter also works in the Dietetics and Nutritional Science Section of the VU Medical Center's Department of Internal Medicine (an alliance between the VUmc and AMC-UvA). Peter Weijs regularly publishes in scientific magazines and specialised journals.

In 2018, VU Amsterdam appointed Peter professor of Nutrition and Exercise, with a focus on proteins, posted at the Amsterdam UMC.

Inaugural speech

On 22 February 2012, Peter Weijs gave his inaugural speech as a newly appointed professor at the AUAS, entitled Happy Feet, Food & Fat. Management of body composition.

In this speech, Peter Weijs sets out what makes a professional with a UAS degree in Nutrition & Dietetics the weight management expert bar none – one whose expertise is needed now than ever to both prevent and cure conditions of our more prosperous world. An evidence-based approach is vital to keep research, teaching and practice up to date; however, Weijs points out, we also should not underestimate the value of practice-based evidence. Practice is so diverse, after all, that not everything is covered by large-scale studies.