I'm a professor of astrophysics with a strong interest in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). I am also the chair of the International Academy of Astronautics SETI Permanent Committee (SETI PC). I have published over 130 refereed journal papers and was previously General Director of ASTRON (The Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy) and Director of JIVE (Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe).