Hans Rollema
Research Fellow

Pfizer Global Research and Development, Groton, CT

"We are working for a good purpose-to help humankind."

It's that belief that pushes Research Fellow Hans Rollema to try one more time, and then once again, in the Neuroscience Discovery department at the Pfizer Global Research and Development in Groton, CT.

While he grew up with an affinity for languages he speaks Dutch (his native language), German, French and some Portuguese, in addition to English - chemistry and biology classes led him to discover his love of research. And it was at a teacher's suggestion that he explored pharmacy. He became a licensed pharmacist in the Netherlands and then went on to earn his PhD in medicinal chemistry.

Hans spent the first half of his career in academia, as a researcher and faculty member at Groningen University in The Netherlands. In 1991, he was invited to give a seminar at Pfizer on his application of an in vivo neurotransmitter sampling technique to drug research. It was then that Hans realized, that at a pharmaceutical company, he would have the opportunity to conduct research with multidisciplinary teams and work on more projects and compounds than is possible within an academic setting. He joined Pfizer soon afterwards and moved to Groton in 1992.

Hans was part of the team that worked on the compound that would one day become Chantix^TM, and was able to see the progression of it from concept in 1993 to market in 2006.