Roel Nusse conducts research into growth factors and stem cell division mechanisms. The growth factors (Wnt signals) influence how and when stem cells differentiate or divide. During the regeneration of tissues after damage, the Wnt growth factors are activated. The same factors also play a role in the development of cancer, following mutation of the genetic material. Nusse will be primarily engaged in teaching Master's students at the UvA.

Nusse obtained his PhD at the UvA in 1980 and has been professor of Developmental Biology at Stanford University since 1994. Furthermore, he is a researcher at Howard Hughes Medical Institute and a member of the Stanford Cancer Institute. In addition to his appointment as professor at the UvA, Nusse will remain affiliated to Stanford University and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Nusse has published articles in leading scientific journals, such as Nature and Science. He has a seat on the international scientific advisory board of the Netherlands Cancer Institute and is a member of the US National Academy of Sciences and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW).