Wilfred den Dunnen studied medicine at the University of Groningen where he obtained his MD degree in 1996. That same year, he defended his PhD thesis on the development of biodegradable nerve guides for peripheral nerve reconstructions. After three to four years working in neurosurgery, he began his training in neuropathology in 1999. In 2004, Dr. den Dunnen started working as a consultant neuropathologist and in 2011 he became an associate professor in neuropathology at the University Medical Center in Groningen, The Netherlands. His main research interests are in neurodegenerative diseases and neuro-oncology, and his lab investigates cell death pathways, as well as the role of glial cells in these processes.