Vermeij was born inSappemeer,Netherlands. Blind from the age of three, he studiedBraille at the Prins Alexander Stichting Boarding School inHuis Ter Heide.[6] He moved from the Netherlands toNutley, New Jersey at age 10, and graduated fromNutley High School in 1965.[7][6] Since the age of 10, Vermeij wanted to be aconchologist.[8] Vermeij had a school teacher who once brought shells from Florida. There were great differences in the characteristics of those shells and the ones he experienced in theNetherlands, which sparked his interest.[9]
He has a wife, Edith Zipser, and a daughter, Hermine.[10] His vision loss did not slow him down. He travelled the world with research assistants to retrieve shells. His interests in comparing shell traits came his senior year at Princeton University when he took a trip to bothCosta Rica andHawaii. There was a sharp contrast in the molluscs and it intrigued him.[11] Vermeij proceeded to graduate fromPrinceton University in 1968 and received his Ph.D. inbiology andgeology fromYale University in 1971.
Vermeij studiescoevolutionary relationships between predator and prey organisms, with a focus on marinemollusks.[1][8] His research argues that an important evolutionary mechanism is the process of escalation, which occurs when species adapt to, or are limited by their competitors,predators, andparasites.[12]
In lieu of sight, Vermeij uses his sense of touch to better understand mollusk morphology.[6] Throughout his career, he has challenged the assumption that people with disabilities like blindness cannot conduct scientific research.
Vermeij has over 300 publications and 5 published books including his first book,Biogeography and Adaptation published in 1978.[13] He has also publishedEvolution and Escalation: An Ecological History of Life, A Natural History of Shells,Privileged Hands: A Scientific Life,[2] andNature: An Economic History, which evaluates economics and evolution.[5] His forthcoming book is titledThe Evolution of Power.[14]
In February 2023, Distinguished Professor Emeritus Geerat Vermeij in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, UC Davis, delivered the New Emeriti Distinguished Lecture, focusing onThe Evolution of Power:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7opv_2eIhM.[15]
^2003 Hall of Fame Inductee, Geerat J. Vermeij, Nutley Hall of Fame. Accessed November 9, 2019. "Geerat J. Vermeij is one of the world's preeminent scientists in ecology, malacology and biology. Born in Holland, he came to America, lived in Nutley and graduated from Nutley High School in the Class of 1965."
^Vermeij, Geerat J. (2013).The evolutionary world: how adaptation explains everything from seashells to civilization. St. Martin's Press.ISBN978-1-4299-2577-8.OCLC865095038.
