Prof. Dr. Dorret Boomsma is a twin researcher and quantitative geneticist at Vrije Universiteit (VU) Amsterdam. She earned MSc degrees in psychophysiology at VU and behavior genetics at the University of Colorado, Boulder, before obtaining her PhD cum laude from VU in 1992.
A leading expert in behavior genetics, she co-founded the Netherlands Twin Register (NTR) with Prof. Orlebeke, forming the foundation for her research into genetic and environmental influences on human traits. Under her supervision, the NTR has contributed to over 70 PhD dissertations and 1,500 scientific publications.

Prof. Boomsma is a member of the Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences, the Royal Holland Society of Sciences and Humanities, and Academia Europaea. She received an honorary doctorate from the University of Helsinki in 2022. Her groundbreaking work has earned prestigious awards, including the 2002 Spinoza Prize, the Dobzhansky Award for lifetime achievement in Behavior Genetics (2013), and the Ming Tsuang Lifetime Achievement Award in Psychiatric Genetics (2022). Additional honors include the Thompson Award (1985), Junior-Heymans Award (1996), James Shields Award (2002), Dr. Hendrik Muller Prize (2009), and Merian Prize (2011). In 2024, she received the Galjaard Award from the Dutch Human Genetics Society.

Her research has been supported by grants from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO), the European Union, and the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health. She received an ERC Established Investigator Grant (2008) and a NARSAD Investigator Grant (2011) for research into the genetics of mental illness.

Prof. Boomsma leads major research initiatives, including the Twinning Genetics Consortium (TGC) and the EU-FP7 ACTION consortium on gene-environment interplay in child aggression. She collaborates extensively within BBMRI, the Consortium on Individual Development (CID), and ODISSEI, advancing genetics and behavioral research.

Jaakko Kaprio, M.D., Ph.D. is a Research Director at the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki. He served as Professor of Genetic Epidemiology at the University of Helsinki from 2001 until his mandatory retirement in April 2020. From 2013 to 2017, he held a five-year research professorship fully funded by the Academy of Finland, focusing on the genetics, epigenetics, and epidemiology of smoking and nicotine dependence.


Dr. Kaprio was Director of FIMM from October 2015 to January 2018. FIMM, an EMBL-associated biomedical research institute, specializes in personalized cancer therapies, large-scale genetics studies (such as FinnGen), and AI applications in digital pathology.


A leading expert in genetic epidemiology, his research primarily explores risk factors for non-communicable diseases, particularly smoking, alcohol use, and dependence. He has worked with the Finnish Twin Cohort studies since 1976 and has conducted research using other population-based samples in Finland. His extensive international collaborations include multiple NIH and EU-funded projects.


Dr. Kaprio has held leadership roles as President of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (European Chapter), the Behavior Genetics Association, and the International Society for Twin Studies. Additionally, he has been actively involved in cancer and tobacco-related NGOs in Finland.

Karri Silventoinen is a Professor of Social Health Inequalities at the University of Helsinki. His research focuses on the interplay between genetic and social factors in human development and the risk of metabolic diseases.

He is the Principal Investigator of the CODATwins project, which has pooled data from 54 twin cohorts across 24 countries. Additionally, he has established bilateral collaborations with multiple twin cohorts worldwide, further advancing global twin research.

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Prof. Mikio Watanabe is a professor at The University of Osaka and serves as the Director of the Center for Twin Research at the Graduate School of Medicine. His work focuses on advancing twin studies across various traits, utilizing a comprehensive research infrastructure that systematically collects omics and epidemiological data.

Dr. med. habil. Tárnoki Ádám Domonkos, PhD is an Associate Professor, Radiologist, Nuclear Medicine Specialist, and Twin Researcher at the Medical Imaging Centre of Semmelweis University, he is also a medical economist and health manager. He serves as the Head of the Radiology Department at the Oncologic Imaging and Invasive Diagnostic Center of the National Institute of Oncology in Budapest, Hungary.

A founding member of the Hungarian Twin Registry, he has delivered over 500 international and domestic lectures and has authored or co-authored more than 200 publications, including 35 book chapters.

He is a board member of the Hungarian Society of Radiologists and has supervised six PhD students. He is also the Past President of the International Society for Twin Studies and previously served as the Secretary and Head of the Imaging Group of the European Respiratory Society.

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Prof. Nándor Ács graduated from Semmelweis University Medical School in Budapest, Hungary, in 1992. A specialist in obstetrics and gynecology (Ob/Gyn), he holds board certifications in general surgery, pediatric gynecology, and clinical pharmacology.

He is a full professor and Head of the Ob/Gyn Department at the Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, as well as the President of the Hungarian Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. In addition to his medical expertise, he holds a Ph.D. and an MBA in health economics.

Prof. Ács has organized numerous national and international congresses and teaching courses. He has authored over 470 publications, with approximately 2,500 citations. He is an active member of several prestigious medical societies and organizations.

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Prof. Yoshie Yokoyama is a Professor of Health Promotion Care Science at Osaka Metropolitan University. She serves as the President of the Japan Society for Twin Studies and is a member of the blue-ribbon panel in the Japanese Government Cabinet Office.

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