Kees van Maanen studied veterinary medicine in Utrecht, the Netherlands. After his graduation in 1986 he became head of the laboratory for FMD vaccine control, diagnosis of vesicular diseases and equine viral diseases at the Central Veterinary Institute in Lelystad, the Netherlands. In 1991 he joined Royal GD and started a four year course in veterinary pathology. He holds a specialist degree both in veterinary pathology (n.p.) and veterinary microbiology. From 1995 - 2013 he was the head of the R&D laboratory of the Animal Health Service (GD) in the Netherlands. His current position in GD Animal Health is virologist/senior scientist within the department of small ruminants, . In 2001 he completed a PhD on the subject Equine herpesvirus 1 and 4 and equine influenza virus infections: Diagnosis, epidemiology and vaccinology. His main research interests are in equine infectious diseases, emerging diseases, transboundary animal diseases, test development and test validation, and implementation of diagnostic strategies in the context of compulsory or voluntary disease control and eradication programs. He is co-author of more than 100 peer-reviewed publications. Since 2007 he has been active for 25% of his time as an FAO/EuFMD consultant for FMD and other transboundary diseases in many countries (for example Botswana, South Africa, Egypt, Libya, Palestine, Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Iran, Myanmar, Indonesia).