As you can see I was involved in quite a few exciting research projects in the Netherlands, the UK and the USA. I was first author and co-author on several papers; a list of publications can be found here: https://scholar.google.nl/citations?user=XrlVMu0AAAAJ&hl=en
Visiting researcher; Prof. Barbara Gravendeel group, Ecology and Evolution, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
After returning to the Netherlands in 2017, it was not easy to find a post doc position. Fortunately, I got the opportunity to work as a visiting researcher in Prof. Barbara Gravendeel’s group. In my leisure time, I spent hours and hours working on 3D reconstructions from micro-CT scans of vascular systems in, for instance, orchids, parachute plants (https://www.naturetoday.com/intl/en/nature-reports/message/?msg=27221) and dandelions. By working as a visiting researcher, I am able to keep in touch with biology, 3D imaging techniques and software, research and publishing.
Post-doctoral Research Fellow; Phil Donoghue lab, Palaeobiology Group, School of Earth ScienceesUniversity of Bristol, Bristol, UK
Though I spent most of my research career on 3D imaging of vertebrate embryos, I never heard of 3D imaging of fossils, until I came across Prof. Phil donoghue’s website: https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/projects/development-and-evolution-of-early-metazoans-uncovering-and-inter). I decided I really wanted to work in this department, and we decided to apply for a Marie Curie Intra-European fellowship, which I received in 2014. During my research fellowship, I investigated tooth evolution in bony fishes, using Synchrotron-Xray Tomographic Microscopy (SXRTM) at the Swiss Light Source (https://www.psi.ch/en/sls).
One of our research interests was the evolution of enamel: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004220312207. Although I left Bristol in 2017, I am still hoping to finish some manuscripts for publication.
Research Technician; Vertebrate and Anthropology Palaeobiology, Natural History Museum, London, UK
From October 2013 – September 2014 I worked as a research technician with Dr Zerina Johanson on tooth development and evolution in sharks and rays, with a special focus on the saw-teeth on the rostra of sawfish and sawshark. I used micro-CT scanning and Avizo-software (Thermo Fisher Scientific) for 3D imaging and analysis of saw ‘teeth’ from fossil and dried sawfish and sawshark specimens, and sawshark embryos from the museum collection. This fascinating work led to 3 first- or co-author publications.
https://phys.org/news/2015-09-scanning-sawteeth-chondrichthyan-real-teeth.html
Post-doctoral researcher, Prof. Martin Cohn lab, Molecular Genetics and Microbiology University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
http://mgm.ufl.edu/faculty/martin-j-cohn-ph-d/
After returning to the Netherlands in 2017, it was not easy to find a post doc position. Fortunately, I got the opportunity to work as a visiting researcher in Prof. Barbara Gravendeel’s group. In my leisure time, I spent hours and hours working on 3D reconstructions from micro-CT scans of vascular systems in, for instance, orchids, parachute plants (https://www.naturetoday.com/intl/en/nature-reports/message/?msg=27221) and dandelions. By working as a visiting researcher, I am able to keep in touch with biology, 3D imaging techniques and software, research and publishing.
From June 2011 – June 2013, I worked as a post-doctoral researcher Dr Martin Cohn’s lab at the University of Florida. Here, I used Optical Projection Tomography (OPT) and Amira software (Thermo Fisher Scientific) to create 3D images of the developing genital tubercle in both male and female mouse embryos. I contributed to a 3D reference atlas for mouse urogenital development for the GenitoUrinary Development Molecular Atlas Project (GUDMAP): https://www.gudmap.org/chaise/recordset/
Post-doctoral researcher; Prof. Cheryll Tickle lab, Cell & Developmental Biology, University of Bath, UK.
Since I am very interested in limb development, I was incredibly lucky to join prof. Cheryll Tickle’s lab at the University of Bath in December 2008. In this lab, the research focussed on limb development and evolution. My work in this lab contributed to 1 first author and 4 co-author publications. A link to the publication I am most proud of, can be found here: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0018661)
My research involved case studies of gene expression patterns during chick limb development. Gene expression patterns were visualised using in situ hybridisation; 3D images were produced using Optical Projection Tomography and Amira software (Thermo Fisher Scientific) and analysed using computational tools. Gene expression patterns from these case studies were submitted to the 3D Atlas of Chick Development: https://researchportal.bath.ac.uk/en/projects/a-three-dimensional-atlas-of-gene-expression-during-chick-develop
Post-doctoral researcher, Prof. Susan Lindsay lab, Institute of Human Genetics, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20979583/
Just one day after my PhD exam and ceremony in November 2007, I moved to Newcastle upon Tyne (UK) for my first post-doctoral project. I studied a small selection of genes involved in brain development and disease (ARX, SIX, Pax6) and performed in situ hybridisation on tissue sections of mouse and human brain tissue at different stages of foetal brain development.
PhD candidate; Imaging and Bioinformatics, Prof. Fons Verbeek Leiden Institute of Advanced Computer Science, Universiteit Leiden, NL
After obtaining my MSc in Biology in august 2002, I felt a strong motivation, curiosity, and passion for biology. Therefore, I decided to pursue a PhD degree. I was offered an exciting, multidisciplinary PhD project in Prof. Fons Verbeek’s group, combining embryology, anatomy, evolution, gene expression, 3D imaging, and computational analysis. Although this is a link to a paper from 1999, it summarises the focus of our Imaging and Bioinformatics group: http://www.ijdb.ehu.es/web/paper.php?doi=10668984
A link to my PhD thesis can be found here: https://scholarlypublications.universiteitleiden.nl/handle/1887/12465
