Alexander Vlaar, intensivist, and principal investigator received his Ph.D. from the University of Amsterdam (UvA) in 2010 for his research into transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI), a potentially fatal side effect of blood transfusions. As a principal investigator at the Amsterdam University Medical Center (UMCA) and the UvA he focuses his research on infusion-related morbidity and mortality in the critically ill. He is the current chair of the Transfusion Task Force of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM). He has received numerous research grants and several national and international awards for his research.