Bio
I am an experimental biologist passionate about finding novel ways to prevent neurodegenerative diseases. Turquoise killifish spontaneously develop age-related brain degeneration phenotypes, including protein aggregation, inflammation, and neuronal degeneration. I aim to identify the mechanisms underlying killifish brain degeneration, which I will then target to delay or prevent the onset of these age-related phenotypes. If we can accomplish this feat in killifish, perhaps one day we can use a similar approach in humans suffering neurodegenerative diseases.
In order to identify and target the mechanisms underlying killifish brain degeneration, I employ methodology such as immunohistochemistry, confocal microscopy, RNA sequencing, proteomics (LC-MS), Quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis, CRISPR-mediated mutagenesis, drug treatments and behavioral testing.
Education
2021 Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Sciences (Cum Laude). Hubrecht Institute, Bakkers group (the Netherlands)
2015 Master of Science: Cancer, Stem cells and Developmental Biology. Utrecht University (the Netherlands)
2013 Bachelor of Science: Biology Utrecht University (the Netherlands)
Experience
01/07/2022 – current (Post-)doctoral researcher in the lab of Dr. Dario Valenzano, studying killifish neurodegeneration. The Leibniz Institute on Aging – Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI), Jena, Germany.
01/02/2021 – 01/07/2021 (Post-)doctoral researcher in the lab of Dr. Dario Valenzano, studying killifish neurodegeneration. Max Planck institute for the Biology of Ageing, Cologne, Germany.
01/05/2015 - 01/02/2021 PhD student in the lab of Prof. Jeroen Bakkers, studying zebrafish and mammalian heart regeneration. Hubrecht Institute, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
01/03/2014 - 01/10/2014 Nine-month internship in the lab of Dr. Julie Canman, studying cytokinesis in the C. elegans lavae. Columbia University Medical Center, New York, United States.
01/02/2013 - 01/02/2014 Twelve-month internship in the lab of Prof. Stefan Schulte-Merker, studying the process of angiogenesis and lymphagiogenesis in zebrafish development. Hubrecht Institute, Utrecht, the Netherlands.