Extended Periods of Employment

2023-present: postdoctoral researcher

• Unravelling extrinsic and intrinsic factors determining niche width in a spider mite.
• Lund University (Department of Biology, Evolutionary Ecology)

2021-present: postdoctoral researcher

• The role of the microbiome for niche width and host adaptation
• KU Leuven campus Kortrijk (Department of Biology, Laboratory of Aquatic Biology)

2020-2021: postdoctoral researcher              

• Predicting Evolution - experimental evolution using C. elegans
• University of Amsterdam (UvA, IBED)

2019-2020: postdoctoral researcher

• The role of functional diversity and species richness in a synthetic bacterial ecosystem
• University of Groningen (RUG, GELIFES - TRÊS)
  

Education

2014-2019: Joint PhD in Evolutionary Biology: 

• The spatial and community-context of ecological specialisation
• Institution: Ghent University (Department of Biology, TEREC) & University of Groningen (RUG, GELIFES - TRÊS)

2009-2014

• MSc student in Biology, major in Ecology and Evolution (summa cum laude), Ghent University
• Erasmus: Boreal Biota and Ecology Program (University of Helsinki)
• BSc student in Biology (cum laude), Ghent University

Side Lines

• Saxophone (certificate of the highest level of instrumental education with magna cum laude, Academy of Performing Arts, Aalst) - The Happy-Face Spiders
• Theater (performed in 15 theatre productions of Tijl & Nele and JETIE)
• Youth movement (leader in KSA Roo Erembodegem for six years)
• Arts (part-time arts education Visual Arts, Aalst)

Funding and Awards

2023

• The Royal Physiographic Society of Lund: Endowments for the Natural Sciences, Medicine and Technology – Biology (150.000 SEK), title: Unravelling extrinsic and intrinsic factors determining niche width in a spider mite Honorable mention
  
• Honorable mention (runner up) for the American Naturalist Student Paper Award 
• FWO mobility grant for 1 year (budget: €19.800)

• FWO junior postdoctoral fellowship

2020

• NWA Small Grant (budget: €50.000), title: "The effect of host-microbiome interactions on micro- and macro-evolution"

2017

• Leopold III grant for field work in Sabah Malaysian Borneo (budget: €2.000)

2014

• Special Research Fund (BOF, UGent) for PhD funding
• Ubbo Emmius sandwich program (RUG) for PhD funding
• Price Pierre Verkerk for best MSc thesis in Biology (UGent) (budget: €500)