Rolf Groenwold was trained in physics (BSc), in mathematics (BSc), in medicine (MSc, cum laude), in epidemiology (MSc, cum laude), and in statistics (MSc, distinction). All these fields come together in his research, which focuses on the development and improvement of methods for causal research, in particular methods to assess the effects of medical interventions (e.g., drugs) using routinely collected health data. In 2009, he obtained a PhD in Epidemiology at Utrecht University for his thesis titled ‘Quantifying confounding’. The research leading to the thesis was performed at the Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care (UMC Utrecht) under the supervision of prof.dr A.W. Hoes and dr E. Hak.
After obtaining his PhD, Rolf continued his research career at the Julius Center, UMC Utrecht. Two prestigious Dutch personal research grant (VENI (2012) and VIDI (2016) grants from the Dutch Research Council) gave him the opportunity to set-up an own research group. In 2017, he moved to the Leiden University Medical Centre (LUMC) in Leiden, the Netherlands where he joined the department of Clinical Epidemiology and the department of Biomedical Data Sciences. At the LUMC, he received a personal research fellowship. In 2018, Rolf was appointed professor of Clinical Epidemiology, in particular methods of research of medical treatments, at Leiden University.