My work focuses on the ecology and evolution of viruses and bacteria. I am particularly interested in the evolution of genome organization and its implications for adaptation, and the effects of size and structure of populations on adaptation and the repeatability of evolution. I work on a broad range of topics, ranging from understanding the exotic genome organization of some plant viruses (multipartite viruses), to how the community-context and spatial processes influence the evolution of antibiotic resistance in bacteria, to developing and testing simple models of bacterial and virus infection. I'm participating in the eco-evolutionary dynamics, disease ecology and microbiomes NIOO research themes.

 

Short bio

I've been fascinated by living organisms and scientific exploration for as long as I can remember. My interest in evolution was first sparked at an early age by exposure to Creationist materials, so Kent Hovind does get some credit for making an evolutionary biologist out of me. Later on I became particularly interested in viruses, and pounced on the opportunity to do a PhD on the evolution of baculoviruses infecting caterpillars. Afterwards I worked on the evolution of plant RNA viruses, trying to understand the evolution of their large-scale genome organization (genome size, gene order) by means of experimental evolution. More recently I've worked on an entirely different bug - an antibiotic resistance gene (TEM beta-lactamase) in Escherichia coli - and different questions - how repeatable and predictable is the evolution of antibiotic resistance? In 2017 I had the privilege of joining the Microbial Ecology Department at NIOO-KNAW as a tenure track researcher. I'm interested in whisky, korfbal, music (currently I am mastering the kazoo), the occasional spat of drawing, and did I mention modeling bacterial and viral infection?

 

 

Work experience:

2017-present: Tenure-track researcher in the Microbial Ecology Department, NIOO-KNAW.

2014-2017: Postdoctoral researcher at Institute of Theoretical Physics, University of Cologne & the Laboratory of Genetics, Wageningen University and Research

2012-2014: Juan de la Cierva postdoctoral fellow at the Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas (IBMCP, CSIC-UPV), Valencia, Spain

2010-2012: NWO Rubicon postdoctoral fellow at the Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas (IBMCP, CSIC-UPV), Valencia, Spain

2008-2009: Postdoctoral researcher at the Quantitative Veterinary Epidemiology Group, Wageningen University and Research

 

Education:

PhD (2008): Infection biology and evolution of insect virueses, Laboratories of Virology and Genetics, Wageningen University and Research

MSc (2003): Life Sciences, Utrecht University

BSc (2001): Science, University College Utrecht

 

Projects:

NWO VIDI Innovational Research Incentives Scheme (2017-2022): On the evolution of genome segmentation in plant RNA viruses

NWO/ZonMw Antimicrobial Resistance Program (2016-2020): Microbiome invasion and transmission of plasmid-mediated antimicrobial resistance (MITAR, Lead investigator: Dr. Egil Fischer.)

John Templeton Foundation ´Big Questions´ Program (2012-2015) :Experimental evolution of genome architecture and complexity in an RNA virus (Lead investigator: Dr. Santiago F. Elena)

Juan de la Cierva personal fellowship (2012-2014)

NWO Rubicon personal fellowship (2010-2012)

 

Formal supervision of PhD students:

Bui Thi Minh Dieu (2010)

Tran Thi Tuyet Hoa (2012)

Anouk Willemsen (2016)

Jesse Alderliesten (expected 2021)

Marcelle Johnson (expected 2022)

Dieke Boezen (expected 2023)