Jan Bogaerts earned his degree in mathematics (1986) and his PhD in mathematics (1993) at the Free University of Brussels (Belgium). In 1988 he also earned a degree in management at the Free University in Brussels.

From 1986 to 1993 he worked as an assistant in mathematics and statistics at the faculties of Economic, Social and Political Sciences and of Science at Free University of Brussels.

In 1993 he joined BMS as statistician, and was later promoted Associate Director Statistics. In this position he worked on the development of several drugs in oncology, including several FDA and EMA submissions.

In 2004 he joined EORTC as statistician of the EORTC Breast Cancer Group, and in 2006 he was appointed senior statistician. In 2010 he became Head of the Statistics department, in 2012 he was appointed Methodology Vice Director and in 2015 Methodology Director. He is a contributor to the development of RECIST and is on the RECIST Steering Committee. Another key role is as the statistician of the MINDACT trial EORTC 10041 – BIG 3-04 (Microarray In Node-negative and 1 to 3 positive lymph node Disease may Avoid ChemoTherapy: A prospective, randomised study comparing the 70-gene signature with the common clinical-pathological criteria in selecting patients for adjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer with 0 to 3 positive nodes) which will soon report primary results.

Current statistical interests include the use of and methodological issues around Progression Free Survival, alternative ways to use changes in tumour measurements as predictive markers, and the correct evaluation of the contribution of new markers to existing prognostic risk evaluation. He also has a high interest in closing the gap between clinical trials and day-to-day practice, and in increasing scientific learning from merging multiple data sources.

Jan Bogaerts is a member of the ESMO Magnitude of Clinical Benefit Scale Working Group.