Freek Ariese studied chemistry (major: physical-organic chemistry) at the University of Amsterdam and obtained his PhD at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in 1993 for his research on fluorescence spectroscopy under cryogenic conditions (Shpol'skii spectroscopy) and the applicability of this technique for metabolites of polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) in biological fluids such as fish bile or urine of factory workers. He then worked for three years as a postdoc at Iowa State University (USA), using another cryogenic technique, fluorescence line-narrowing (FLN) spectroscopy, to identify adducts of carcinogenic PAHs with DNA and help elucidate the mechanisms of cancer initiation. After his return to the VU he worked for three years at the Institute for Environmental Studies/IVM, focussing on the improvement of environmental analysis (in particular organotin componds and PACs) and the development of certified reference materials. Since 1999 he is working as assistant professor in the Applied Spectroscopy group of ACAS. His main research interests are fluorescence (specifically the abovementioned cryogenic techniques), Raman spectroscopy including deep-UV Raman, and the coupling of advanced spectroscopic techniques to separation methods. He teaches various spectroscopic courses at the bachelor, master and PhD level and is also involved in the management of the Laser Centre VU.